Investigation on the Effect of Geometric Parameter on Reinforced Concrete Exterior Shear Wall-Slab Connection Using Finite Element Analysis

Abstract

Finite element modeling is becoming widely applicable for the assessment of structural behavior, which is accurate and reliable, since conducting the full experimental test is time-consuming and very expensive. Previously conducted research confirmed that there is a good agreement with the experimental tests. In this study, a nonlinear finite element analysis with the ABAQUS software package has been taken to investigate the response of reinforced concrete exterior shear wall-slab connection subjected to cyclic loading. The structural responses such as load-carrying capacity, energy dissipation, ductility, and stiffness degradation have been studied. Connection type, an aspect ratio of the thickness of the slab to the thickness of the shear wall (ts/tw), the aspect ratio of the height of the shear wall to the effective width of the slab (H/We), and concrete strength were used as study parameters to evaluate their effect on the structural response of the connection. A total of sixteen models have been selected based on the parametric study and objective of the study. The results show that the exterior shear wall-slab connection with U-type connection has high load-carrying capacity than the other connection types. As the aspect ratios of ts/tw, H/We and concrete strength increase, the ultimate load capacity and energy dissipation capacity increase. In other words, as the number of loading cycles increases, the stiffness of the connection is decreased.