Finite Element Modeling of Reinforced Concrete Beam-Column Connections

The application of a nonlinear finite element analysis package to the modeling of external beam-column connections is investigated. The behavior of the finite element model is compared with the results from 19 experimental tests. A parametric study was conducted to evaluate the effects of the main variables on both joint capacity and joint behavior. Details of the effects of column load on one of the connection details have been included. The study validates the suitability of both the software package and the applied modeling technique.