Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, Inc.

, London

Juan Sagaseta, Ph.D.

A study on punching shear failure induced by impact loading on reinforced concrete flat slabs
Introduction

Critical shear crack

developing through strut

Reinforced concrete (RC) flat slabs are widely used in the construction industry

Thus aims of the study are:

1. Calculate dynamic punching shear

strength (PSS) of RC slabs
2. Assess influence of dynamic loading

3. Use the new method to assess slabs

subjected to impact
4. Verify whether failure (or otherwise)
due to punching shear is predicted

Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by the Engineering and

Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) under grant reference
number EP/K008153/1.
The contributions of Prof. Aurelio Muttoni and Dr. Miguel
Fernndez Ruiz of PFL (Lausanne, Switzerland) and Dr. Tony Jones
and David Cormie of Arup (London, UK) are also acknowledged.

SUPPLY

The PSS using the CSCT is modified to take into

account the dynamic (enhanced) strength
properties of concrete
According to CSCT, PSS is a function of:
1) Concrete fracture energy
2) Concrete aggregate interlock
3) Size of aggregate
4) Slab depth

depend on concrete
cylinder strength ( )
which is known to vary
with strain-rate ()

static parameters

Knowing variation of with strain-rate using

equations from the fib Model Code, dynamic
fracture energy and aggregate interlock
contributions are obtained
Dynamic PSS is derived by
discretely evaluating both the
normal () and tangential ()
components of PSS
Static CSCT is now
extended as a number
of different dynamic
PSS failure criteria to
assess dynamic load
scenarios

= +

0.8
for = 10 s
15
1+
0 +

1
=
for = 100 s
15
1 +
0 +

1.3
for = 300 s
15
1+
0 +

+7%

+33%
+73%

VR/b0dvfc (MPa)

Theoretical position
of strut carrying
shear

Load-rotation response

0.2

0.1

Dynamic response of impacted slab

DEMAND

This research is concerned with assessing RC

slabs subjected to an impact load i.e. a large load
applied suddenly over a short time
A number of parameters
define the impact scenario:

0.75
=
Equation (5)
0 1 + 15
0 +

0.3

()

1) The impactor mass

()

2) The drop height of the

impactor (or velocity 0 )

()
3) The slab-impactor contact

stiffness
4) The slab mechanical properties (mass
and stiffness )
5) The slab damping characteristics

Post-contact
phase

Other studies show that a load which is applied

dynamically imposes a larger demand on the
structure

0.4

Contact phase

Studies by others show that in the case of

dynamic loading on slabs (e.g. impact) the
strength increases with loading (strain) rate

Dynamic punching shear strength

Punching shear failure

0.5

A mass-spring-dashpot model is used to obtain

response of slab (displacement and rotation)
Two phases are considered:
1) The contact phase (direct loading)
2) The post-contact phase (any vibration which
occurs after the impact)
Numerical integration is then used to solve the
equations of motion
Young Researchers Conference 2016

0.0

0.1

0.1

0.2
d/dg0+dg

0.2

0.3

0.3

Application of results

VERIFYING SUPPLY > DEMAND

The model is validated using tests by Delhomme

et al. (2007) e.g. a 12x4.8x0.28m RC slab
( =40.5MPa, =0.71%) subjected to a 450kg
mass dropped from height of 30m
The proposed model accurately models the
displacement-time history and correctly
predicts that punching does not occur

The model can be used for design of rock-fall

arrest systems, assessing falling slabs on slabs
and impulsive axial loads applied in a column

Formulation is being extended to assess other

dynamic load scenarios (e.g. blast loading,
sudden column removal)
0.03

1.0

0.8

0.02
0.01

us (m)

Critical shear crack theory (CSCT) by Muttoni et al. (2008, 2009) is a mechanically-based method where
punching shear strength ( ) and failure are predicted as functions of the slab rotation (), which is
proportional to the critical shear crack width ()

Both current code and the CSCT methods are

valid for static loads only (e.g. gravity)

0.7

Empirical methods are used in design for punching (e.g. BS 8110, EN 1992, ACI 318)

WHY?

0.8

0.6

Punching shear in RC flat slabs is a dominant failure mode

Research aims

University of Surrey, Guildford

0.00
0.00

-0.01

0.05

0.10
Numerical post contact

-0.02
-0.03

References

Numerical contact
t (s)

Test

VR/b0dvfc (MPa)

WHEN A GOOD IMPACT IS BAD

Karl Micallef, Ph.D.

-0.25

0.6
0.4
0.2

-0.15

0.0
-0.05
-0.2
-0.4

0.05

-0.6
-0.8
-1.0

d/dg0+dg

Micallef, K. et al. (2014). Assessing punching shear

failure in reinforced concrete flat slabs subjected to
localised impact loading, International Journal of
Impact Engineering, 71, 13-33.

0.15

Contact

Post contact

0.25

Unreinforced
Reinforced