Numerical Modelling of Interior RC Beam-Column Joints for Non-Engineered Buildings Strengthened Using Steel Plates

Abstract

Data examination regarding historical earthquakes in Indonesia has revealed that damages occurred mostly in non-engineered buildings. Many non-engineered buildings have serious design and construction deficiencies in using concrete of inadequate quality and have poor steel reinforcement detailing especially in their beam-column joints. These joints require an effective strengthening technique which is simple to install. This paper presents steel plates to reinforce concrete beam-column joints through numerical studies. The finite element model was developed using ABAQUS. The FEM results were validated by comparisons with previous experimental tests. For this purpose, two RC beam-column joints were analyzed, including original standard beam columns and non-standard steel detailing strengthened with steel plates. The comparison of the results from numerical model indicated that steel plates could increase lateral strength, ductility, energy dissipation and increase the shear strength of the joints.