Punching Shear Design of Earthquake-Resistant Slab-Column Connections

During an earthquake, unbalanced moments can produce significant shear stresses that increase the vulnerability of slab-column connections to brittle punching failure. This paper proposes design requirements for earthquake-resistant slab-column connections. The proposed requirements include the value of the unbalanced moment to be used in punching shear design. An upper limit for the design value of the unbalanced moment is suggested based on the flexural capacity of the slab. Use of the upper limit of the design moment ensures that punching shear failure is prevented. The paper also shows that the use of shear reinforcement, particularly shear studs with mechanical anchors, significantly enhances the ductility of slab-column connections under reversed cyclic loading.