Parametrical study of the behavior of exterior unreinforced concrete beam-column joints through numerical modeling

Exterior beam-column joints are structural elements that ensure connection between beams and columns. The joint strength is generally assumed to be governed by the structural element of lowest load capacity (beam or column), however, the joint may be the weakest link. The joint shear behavior is still not well understood due to the influence of several variables, such as geometry of the connection, stress level in the column, concrete strength and longitudinal beam reinforcement. A parametrical study based only on experiments would be impracticable and not necessarily exposes the failure mechanisms. This paper reports on a set of numerical simulations conducted in DIANA