Previous studies have clearly shown that flat slabs made of ultrahigh-performanc

e concrete (UHPC) have considerably higher

punching shear strength than their counterparts made of conventional concrete. H
owever, it may not be economically feasible to construct an
entire slab out of UHPC. As such, the objective of the research reported in this
paper was to determine the optimal use of UHPC within the
critical punching shear area, while the remainder of the slab is made of normal
concrete. Ten flat slab specimens with two different steel
reinforcement ratios and three different areas (or depths) of UHPC were tested u
nder a concentric load to study the effect of UHPC on
punching shear capacity of flat slabs. Test results showed that full-depth appli
cation of UHPC within the area enclosed by a perimeter located
at a distance equal to the slab thickness from the column face could enhance pun
ching shear capacity of the slab by 70%. This configuration
was deemed to be the optimal application of UHPC in flat slabs. On the other han
d, half-depth application of UHPC does not significantly
improve shear capacity of flat slabs. The research reported in this p