INTERNATIONALJOURNALOFAPPLIEDENGINEERINGRESEARCH,DINDIGUL

Volume1,No1,2010
Copyright2010AllrightsreservedIntegratedPublishingAssociation
RESEARCHARTICLEISSN 09764259

ExperimentalStudyonbehaviorofInteriorRCBeamColumnJoints
SubjectedtoCyclicLoading
P.Rajaram1 A.Murugesan2 andG.S.Thirugnanam3
1

P.G.Student,DepartmentofCivilEngineering,InstituteofRoadAndTransport
Technology,Erode638316, TamilNadu,India..
2
ResearchScholar,DepartmentofCivilEngineering,SonaCollegeoftechnology,salem636005,
TamilNadu,India.
3
AssistantProfessorandHeadofDepartmentofCivilEngineering,InstituteofRoadAnd
TransportTechnology,Erode638316,TamilNadu,India..
gst_irtt@yahoo.co.in

ABSTRACT
Beamcolumnjointisanimportantcomponentofareinforcedconcretemomentresisting
frameandshouldbedesignedanddetailedproperly,especiallywhentheframeissubjected
toearthquakeloading.Failureofbeamcolumnjointsduringearthquakeisgovernedbybond
andshearfailuremechanismwhicharebrittleinnature.Therefore,acurrentinternational
codegiveshighimportancetoprovideadequate anchoragetolongitudinalbarsand
confinementofcoreconcreteinresistingshear.Moderncodesprovideforreductionof
seismicforcesthroughprovisionofspecialductilityrequirements.Detailsforachieving
ductilityinreinforcedconcretestructuresaregiveninIS13920.Atwobayfivestorey
reinforcementcementconcretemomentresistingframeforageneralbuildinghasbeen
analysesanddesignedinSTAADProasperIS18932002codeproceduresanddetailedasIS
139201993recommendations.Abeamcolumnjointhasbeenmodeledtoascaleof1/5th
fromtheprototypeandthemodelhasbeensubjectedtocyclicloadingtofinditsbehavior
duringearthquake.NonlinearanalysisiscarriedoutinANSYSsoftware.
KeyWords:BeamColumnJoint,EarthquakeresistantStructures.
1.Introduction:
The behavior of reinforced concrete moment resisting frame structures in recent
earthquakes all over the world has highlighted the consequences of poor performance of
beamcolumnjoints.Beamcolumnjointsinareinforcedconcretemomentresistingframeare
crucial zones for transfer of loads effectively between the connecting elements (i.e. beams
andcolumns)inthestructure.Intheanalysisofreinforcedconcretemomentresistingframes,
thejointsaregenerallyassumedasrigid.InIndianpractice,thejointisusuallyneglectedfor
specificdesignwithattentionbeingrestrictedtoprovisionofsufficientanchorageforbeam
longitudinal reinforcement. This may be acceptable when the frame is not subjected to
earthquake loads. There have been many catastrophic failures reported in the past
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Volume1,No1,2010
Copyright2010AllrightsreservedIntegratedPublishingAssociation
RESEARCHARTICLEISSN 09764259

earthquakes,inparticularwithTurkeyandTaiwanearthquakesoccurredin1999,whichhave
been attributed to beamcolumn joints. The poor design practice of beam column joints is
compounded by the high demand imposed by the adjoining flexural members (beams and
columns) in the event of mobilizing their inelastic capacities to dissipate seismic energy.
Unsafe design and detailing within the joint region jeopardize the entire structure, even if
other structural members conform to the design requirements. Since past three decades,
extensive research has been carried out on studying the behavior of joints under seismic
conditions through experimental and analytical studies. Various international codes of
practices have been undergoing periodic revisions to incorporate the research findings into
practice. In RC buildings, portions of columns that are common to beams at their
intersections are called beamcolumn joints. Since their constituent materials have limited
strengths, the joints havelimited force carrying capacity. When forces larger than these are
applied during earthquakes, joints are severely damaged. Repairing damaged joints is
difficult, and so damage must be avoided. Thus, beamcolumn joints must be designed to
resistearthquakeeffects.Underearthquakeshaking,thebeamsadjoiningajointaresubjected
tomomentsinthesame(clockwiseorcounterclockwise)direction.Underthesemoments,the
top bars in the beamcolumn joint are pulled in one direction and the bottom ones in the
oppositedirection.Theseforcesarebalancedbybondstressdevelopedbetweenconcreteand
steelinthejointregion.Ifthecolumnisnotwideenoughorifthestrengthofconcreteinthe
jointislow,thereisinsufficientgripofconcreteonthesteelbars.Insuchcircumstances,the
bar slips inside the joint region, and beams lose their capacity to carry load. Further,under
the action of the above pullpush forces at top and bottom ends, joints undergo geometric
distortiononediagonallengthofthejointelongatesandtheothercompresses.Ifthecolumn
crosssectionalsizeisinsufficient,theconcreteinthejointdevelopsdiagonalcracks.
1.1.Typesofjointsinframes:
Thejointisdefinedastheportionofthecolumnwithinthedepthofthedeepestbeam
that frames into the column1. In a moment resisting frame, three types of joints can be
identifiedviz. interior joint, exterior joint andcorner joint (Fig.1). When fourbeams frame
into the vertical faces of a column, the joint is called as an interior joint. When one beam
frames into a vertical face of the column and two other beams frame from perpendicular
directionsintothejoint,thenthejointiscalledasanexteriorjoint.Whenabeameachframes
into two adjacent vertical faces of a column, then the joint is called as a corner joint. The
severity of forces and demands on the performance of these joints calls for greater
understanding of their seismic behavior. These forces develop complex mechanisms
involvingbondandshearwithinthejoint.

(i)

Interiorjoint(ii)Exteriorjoint(iii)Corner
Joint
Fig1:Typeofjointsinframe

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2.ExperimentalInvestigation:
The experimental study on interior beamcolumn joint of a multistory reinforced
concretebuildinginSalemZonefallingundertheseismicZone IIIhasbeenanalyzedusing
STADD.pro. The specimens were designed for seismic load according to IS 1893(PartI):
2002 & IS 13920: 1993. The structure is five storey two bay frames including 1.5 m
foundationdepth.Themaximummomentisoccurredatthegroundfloorrooflevel.Weare

consideringthatparticularjointfortheexperimentalstudy.
Fig2:Elevationandplanviewoftwobayframe(G+4)
2.1.Detailsofspecimen:
Thetestspecimenwasreducedto1/5th scaletosuittheloadingarrangementandtest
facilities.Prototypespecimenhavingbeamdimensionof305X460includingslabthickness
and columndimension of305 X460.For testing model thedimension ofbeamwas120 X
170mmwithoutslabthicknessandbeamlengthof450mmandthatcolumnsizewas120X
230mm.Heightofthecolumnwas600mm.
2.2.Descriptionoftheformworkandreinforcement:

Fig2:Formworkand
Reinforcementfortestspecimen

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2.3.Reinforcementdetails:
The reinforcement details of beam column joint are shown in fig.2. Main
reinforcementprovidedinthebeamwas10mmdiameterbars,3Nosattopand3Nosat
bottom.Thestirrupsare6mmdiameterbarsat30mmc/cforadistanceof2d,i.e.300mm
from the face of the column and at 60 mm c/c for remaining length of the beam. The
longitudinalreinforcementprovidedinthecolumnwas8Nosof8mmdiameterbarsequally
distributedalongfoursidesofcolumn.Thecolumnconfinementsare6mmdiameterbarsat
30 mm c/c for a distance of 150 mm from the face of the column and at 60 mm c/c for
remaininglengthofthecolumn.
2.4.Castingandcuring:
The mouldisarranged properly and placedover a smooth surface. Thesides of the
mould exposed to concrete were oiled well to prevent the side walls of the mould from
absorbing water from concrete and to facilitate easy removal of the specimen. The
reinforcement cageswere placed in the moulds and coverbetween cage and formprovided
was20mm.ConcretemixdesignedforM30(1:1:2.5)andwatercementratiois0.40.Cement
mortarblockpieceswereusedascoverblocks.Theconcretecontentssuchascement,sand,
aggregateandwaterwereweighedaccuratelyandmixed.Themixingwasdonetilluniform
mixwasobtained.Theconcretewasplacedintothemouldimmediatelyaftermixingandwell
compacted. Control cubes and cylinders were prepared for all the mixes along with
concreting.Thetestspecimenswereremoldedattheendof24hoursofcasting.Theywere
marked identifications. They are cured in water for 28 days. After 28 days of curing the
specimenwasdriedinairandwhitewashed.
230

6mmdialateralties@30mmc/c
6mmdia2leggedstirrups@30mmc/c
3Nosof10DIA

215
450

300

120

170

3Nosof10DIA
6mmdia2leggedstirrups@60mmc/c

215

ALLDIMENSIONINmm
120
230

8Nosof8DIA

Fig3:DuctileDetailingofBeamColumnJointasperIS139201993

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Fig4:CastingStageofBeamColumnJoint

2.5.Testsetupandinstrumentation:
Thespecimenwastestedinareactionframe.Thetestsetupisshowninfigure4. A
hydraulicjackwasusedtoapplytheaxialloadforcolumn.Torecordtheloadpreciselya
provingringwasused.Theloadisappliedforwardcyclicandreversecyclicanddeflection
measuredfromevery3KNbyusingLVDT.Thedeflectionwasmeasuredatthebeamfree
endtip.Loadingisappliedgraduallysuchas3,6,9,12,15KNrespectivelyforforward
directionand3,6,9,12,15KNrespectivelyforreversedirection.
2.6.Loadsequencediagram:

Fig5:LoadVscyclenumberchart

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Fig6:TestSetupforForward&reverseCyclicLoad
2.7.ComparisonsofexperimentstudyandFEManalysis
ExperimentalresultsarecomparedwithFEMmodelanalysisinANSYS,thebehavior
oftheinteriorbeamcolumnjointaresimilar.Maximumstressesareoccurredatthejunction
fortheultimateloadingatthebeamtip.Thecrackpatternsareformedandclearlyvisiblein
the model as shown in fig: 7&8. The maximum stress are developed in the FEM model at
junction the tensile stress at top exceed the maximum tensile stress and compressive stress
occurredatbottomintheforwardcyclicloading.

Fig7:Failureatjointsduetoultimateload(23KN)

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Fig8:crackpatternofpostultimateload(backsideofmodel)

2.8.LoadDeflectioncurve:

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RightsideLoadingLeftsideLoading
Fig9:Loaddeflectioncurveleftandrightsideofbeamundercyclicloading
3.Parametershavebeenstudied:
1.Ductility,2.Energyabsorption,3.Stiffness.
3.1.Ductility:
Ductility may be broadly defined as the ability of a structure to undergo
inelastic deformations beyond the initial yield deformation with no decrease in the load
resistance.Aquantitativemeasureofductilityhastobewithreferencetoaloaddeformation
response which is nearly horizontal. Then the ratio of ultimate deformation to the
deformation at the beginning of the horizontal path (of first yield) can give a measure of
ductility.

Fig10:DuctilityfactorVsLoadCycles

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Fig11:Cumulativeductilityfactorforforwardandreverseloading
3.2.Energyabsorption:
When the beamcolumn joint is subjected to reverse cyclic loading, such as those
experiencedduringheavywindorearthquake,someenergyisabsorbedineachloadcycle.It
is equal to the work in straining or deforming the structure to the limit of deflection. The
relativeenergyabsorptioncapacitiesduringvariousloadcycleswerecalculatedasthesumof
the areas under the hysteric loops from the versus loaddeflection diagram. The relative
energyabsorbedduringthefirstcycleofloadingwascalculatedas1.676KNmmandduring
7thcycle123.75kNmm.

Fig12:cumulativeenergyabsorptionforforwardandreversecycle
3.3.Stiffness:
Stiffnessisdefinedastheloadrequiredtocausingunitdeflectionofthebeamcolumn
joint.Theprocedureforcalculatingstiffnesswasasfollows:
a)AtangentwasdrawnforeachcycleofthehystericcurvesataloadofP=0.75Pu
wherePuwasthemaximumloadofthatcycle.
b)Determinetheslopeofthetangentdrawntoeachcycle,whichgivesthestiffness
ofthatcycle.Ingeneral,withtheincreaseintheloadthereisdegradationofstiffness

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Fig13:Stiffnessdegradationforforwardandreversecycle
5.Conclusion:
The structuralbehaviorof RCCbeam column joint interior type has been studied at
analytically by using standard software packages STAAD Pro and ANSYS. Experimental
investigationhasbeencarriedoutandtestresultsshowthatthestructuralbehaviorofinterior
beamcolumnjointmodelhasbeensimilartothatoftheanalyticallypredictedone.Fromtest
results, important parameter has been worked out such as ductility, energy absorption,
stiffness degradation etc., in order to access the seismic behaviorof the beam column joint
whenearthquakecomes.
6.Reference:
1. A.G.Tsonos, I.A.Tegos and G.Gr.Penelis[1992]. Seismic resistance of Type 2
Exterior Beam column joints reinforced with inclined bars The ACI structural
Journal,TitleNo.89S1,JanFeb1992.
2. A.Murugesan and Dr.G.S.Thirugnanam[2009] Ductile Behavior of Steel Fibre
Reinforced Concrete beamcolumn joints subjected to Cyclic loading, National
Conference on Advances and Innovations in civil Engineering, Mepco Schlenk
EngineeringCollege,Sivakasi(2009),pp2733.
3. G.A.Lakshmi, Anjan Dutta and S.K.Deb[2008] Numerical studies of
strengthening of beam column joint under cyclic excitation using FRP composites
JournalsofstructuralEngineering,Vol35,No1,AprMay2008,pp5965.
4. Preedachaimahawan&Amornpimanmas[2008]Seismicretrofitofsubstandard
beam column joint by planer joint expansion, Materials and structures, DOI 10,
JuneMay2008,
5. Ramesh.S [2008]Experimental study on behavior of Exterior RC beamcolumn
jointssubjectedtocyclicloadingM.E.thesisreport,AnnaUniversity,Chennai,July
2008.
6. Thirugnanam.G.S[2001]DuctilebehaviorofSIFCONstructuralmemberJournals
ofstructuralengineering,AprilJune2001,Volume28,No.1.
7. YungChih Wang and Kai Hsu[2009] Shear Strength of RC Jacketed Interior
BeamColumn Joints without Horizontal Shear Reinforcement The ACI structural
Journal,TitleNo.106S24,MarApr2009.

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