Effect of Openings on Punching Shear Strength of Reinforced Concrete Slabs-Finite Element Investigation

Finite element formulation with the damaged plasticity model for concrete in ABAQUS is used to simulate the opening effect in reinforced concrete slabs without shear reinforcement. Nine edge slabcolumn connections, previously tested, are analyzed. The effect of the location and the size of the opening on the punching shear resistance is investigated. The numerical results from the finite element analyses (FEA) are in good agreement with the experimental results in terms of ultimate load and cracking; and confirm the accuracy of the proposed finite element model. The punching shear capacity of the tested specimens is calculated using the equations of ACI 318-14 and compared with the test and numerical results. Then, parametric investigation is presented on edge and interior specimens having openings with different sizes and located in different distances from the column. The results confirm that the punching shear resistance is decreased with an increase in opening size and with the decrease in opening distance from the column.