ACI STRUCTURAL JOURNAL TECHNICAL PAPER

Title no. 96-S60

Design for Punching Shear Strength with ACI 318-95

by Amin Ghali and Sami Megally

Brittle punching failure of flat plates can occur due to the

transfer of shearing forces and unbalanced moments between
slabs and columns. Design of connections of columns to flat
plates to insure safety against punching failure is presented.
This paper covers the design procedure in most practical situa-
tions, including interior, edge, and corner columns; prestressed
and nonprestressed slabs; slabs with openings; and slabs with
shear reinforcement. The ACI 318-95 Building Code require-
ments are adhered to where applicable. Numerical examples
are presented to demonstrate the design procedure. Seismic
design considerations are not discussed in this paper.

Keywords: columns (supports); connections; flat concrete plates; pre-

stressed concrete; punching shear; raft foundations; reinforced concrete;
shear strength; slabs; structural design.

INTRODUCTION
The punching shear resistance of concrete flat plates fre-
quently needs to be increased by the provision of drop panels or
by shear reinforcement. The latter solution is more acceptable
architecturally, and is often more economical. This paper gives
the details of punching shear design of flat plates without drop
panels, with or without shear reinforcement. Requirements of
the ACI 318-95 1 Building Code for design of slabs against
punching are reviewed. The design steps are presented, adher-
ing to the code requirements when they apply. Most conditions
that occur in practice are considered for slabs with or without
prestressing, including slabs with openings in the column vicin-
ity. Interior, edge, and corner column-slab connections subject-
ed to shear and moment transfer are considered. The design
steps are demonstrated by computed examples. This paper pre-
sents a complete design procedure for punching shear. Refer-
ence is made to an available computer program that can be used
for the design. When drop panels are used, the design procedure
for flat plates applies with an additional provision that is also
discussed.
The ACI 318-951 Building Code allows the use of shear
heads, in the form of steel I- or channel-shaped sections, as
shear reinforcement in slabs. Because at present this type is rare-
ly used, it will not be discussed here. The two most common
types of shear reinforcement are shown in Fig. 1. To save space
in this paper, the arrangements of the reinforcement with the
two types are shown in a single top view in Fig. 1(a). Fig. 1(b) Fig. 1—Types of shear reinforcement considered: (a) shear
and (c) are a pictorial view and a cross section showing, respec- reinforcements (top view); (b) stirrups; and (c) stud shear rein-
forcement alternate details (Section A-A).
tively, details of conventional stirrups and stud shear reinforce-
ment (SSR). The vertical legs of the stirrups or the stems of the tudinal flexural reinforcing bar lodged at the corners. Before the
studs intersect the shear cracks and prevent their widening (Fig. force in a stirrup leg reaches its yield strength, the concrete in-
2). Because the intersection can occur at any section of the stir-
side the hooks or bends crushes or splits, causing slip, thus pre-
rup leg or the stud stem, the leg or the stem should be as long as
venting development of the full strength of the stirrup,
possible and must be anchored as closely as possible to the top
and bottom surfaces of the slab (observing the cover require-
ACI Structural Journal, V. 96, No. 4, July-August 1999.
ments for corrosion and fire protection). Received October 13, 1997, and reviewed under Institute publication policies.
Effective anchorage is essential to develop the yield strength Copyright  1999, American Concrete Institute. All rights reserved, including the
making of copies unless permission is obtained from the copyright proprietors. Perti-
of the shear reinforcement of both types. With stirrups [Fig. nent discussion will be published in the May-June 2000 ACI Structural Journal if
1(b)], the anchorage is provided by hooks, bends, and the longi- received by January 1, 2000.

ACI Structural Journal/July-August 1999 539

ACI member Amin Ghali is a professor of civil engineering at the University of Cal-
gary, Alberta, Canada. He is a member of ACI Committees 373, Circular Concrete
Structures Prestressed with Circumferential Tendons; and 435, Deflection of Concrete
Building Structures; and Joint ACI-ASCE Committees 343, Concrete Bridge Design;
and 421, Design of Reinforced Concrete Slabs.
ACI member Sami Megally is a postdoctoral associate in the Department of Civil Engi-
neering at the University of Calgary. He received his PhD from the University of Cal-
gary in 1998 and his BSc from Ain-Shams University, Egypt, in 1988. His research
interests include structural analysis, the finite element method, and seismic design of
Fig. 2—Interception of cracks by vertical shear reinforcement.
particularly in thin slabs. For this reason, ACI 318R-951 empha-
sizes that stirrups can be used, provided they are well-anchored,
and requires that the stirrups be closed and enclose a longitudi-
nal bar at each corner [Fig. 1(b)]. The Canadian Standard CSA-
A23.3-942 does not permit use of stirrups as shear reinforcement
in slabs thinner than 300 mm (12 in.).
The SSR relies on mechanical anchorage by heads at both
ends of the stem or by a head at one end and a steel strip welded
to several studs. The steel strip holds the studs in a vertical po-
sition and insures the appropriate spacing between them until
the concrete is cast. The size of the anchor heads must be large
enough to insure that the full yield strength of the stud can be
developed with negligible slip of the anchorage. Experiments
show that this can be achieved with anchor heads of area nine to
10 times the cross-sectional area of the stud.
RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE
This paper outlines the steps of design for punching shear
strength in accordance with ACI 318-95. However, the code
does not cover all situations encountered in practice. For these
situations, the design is based on research.
ACI 318-95 Code requirements
ACI 318-951 requires that at a critical section at d/2 from col-
umn face (Fig. 3)
vu ≤ φvn
where v n is the nominal shear stress; φ is the strength-reduction
factor (φ = 0.85); vu is the maximum shear stress caused by the
transfer of a factored shearing force V u and bending moments
M ux and M uy between the slab and column and acting at critical
section centroid
V u γ v x M ux γv y M u y
v u = -------- + -----------------y + -----------------x
b od Jx Jy
where bo is length of perimeter of shear critical section; d is the
distance from extreme compression fiber to centroid of longitu-
540
Fig. 3—Critical sections for two-way shear in slabs at d/2
from column face: (a) interior column; (b) edge column; and
(c) corner column.
dinal tension reinforcement; the subscripts x and y refer to cen-
troidal axes in directions of both spans; (x, y) are coordinates of
the point at which vu is maximum and J is a property of critical
section “analogous to polar moment of inertia.” Fig. 3 indicates
the positive directions of x and y axes, the force V u , and mo-
ments M ux and Muy ; in this figure and others in this paper, the ar-
rows represent the directions of force and moments exerted by
the column on the slab. In Fig. 3, x and y are replaced by x and
y if they are principal axes. γvx and γ vy are fractions of the mo-
ments transferred by eccentricity of shear about the x and y ax-
es, respectively
1
γ v = 1 – -------------------------------- (3)
2
1 + -- b 1 ⁄ b 2
3
ACI 318-951 defines b1 and b 2, respectively, as widths of
shear critical section measured in direction of the span for which
moment is determined and perpendicular to it. Thus, when cal-
culating γ vy for the rectangular critical section shown in Fig. 3(a),
b 1 and b 2 are respectively equal to (c 1 + d) and (c2 + d). The code
does not give an equation for γ v for critical sections having
shapes other than a closed rectangle.
In absence of shear reinforcement, the code requires that the
nominal shear stress of nonprestressed slabs be the smallest of
(using lb and in. units)
(1) v n = v c =  2 + -----
4 f ′ (4)
 β c c
α sd
v n = v c =  --------- + 2 f c′ (5)
 b 
o
v n = v c = 4 f c′ (6)
(2)
where v c is the nominal shear stress provided by concrete; β c is
ratio of long side to short side of column; f c′ is specified concrete
compressive strength; α s = 40 for interior columns; α s = 30 for
edge columns; and α s = 20 for corner columns.
ACI Structural Journal/July-August 1999
reinforced concrete structures.

541 ACI Structural Journal/July-August 1999

 When vu > φv n , slab thickness must be increased or shear re-
inforcement provided. When shear reinforcement is used, ACI
318-951 expresses the nominal shear stress as

v n = v c + v s ≤ 6 f c′ (7)

v c = 2 f c′ (8)

Av fy v
v s = -------------- (9)
b os

where v s is nominal shear stress provided by shear reinforce-

ment; Av is area of shear reinforcement within a distance s ; f yv is
specified yield strength of shear reinforcement; and s is spacing
of shear reinforcement. The upper limit for s is 0.5d. Shear rein-
forcement must be extended for a sufficient distance until the
critical section outside the shear-reinforced zone (Fig. 4) satis-
fies Eq. (1) with v n = v c = 2 f c ′ .
Other provisions for prestressed slabs and slabs with openings in
the column vicinity will be discussed in the following sections.

Prestressed slabs
For prestressed slabs with no shear reinforcement, ACI 318-
95 1 replaces Eq. (4) to (6) by

v n = v c = β p f c′ + 0.3 f p c + V p ⁄ b o d (10)

where V p is the vertical component of all effective prestress

forces crossing the critical section; f pc is average value of fpc in
two vertical slab sections in perpendicular directions, with fpc
being the compressive stress at section centroid after allowance
for all prestress losses; and β p is the smaller of 3.5 and [(α s d/
bo ) + 1.5]. Eq. (10) can replace Eq. (4) to (6) only if the follow-
ing conditions are satisfied: (a) no portion of the cross section of
the column shall be closer than four times the slab thickness to
a discontinuous edge; (b) f c′ shall not be taken greater than 5000
psi; and (c) f pc in each direction shall not be less than 125 psi nor
be taken greater than 500 psi.
In thin slabs, it is difficult to control the slope of tendon pro-
file at the point it crosses a critical section. Thus, for practical
considerations, the last term in Eq. (10) may be neglected or V p
reduced to account for the inaccuracy that can occur in the exe-
cution of the tendon profile.
Within the shear-reinforced zone, v n is to be calculated using
the same equations as for nonprestressed slabs.
Section 11.5.4.1 of ACI 318-95 allows for prestressed mem-
bers, spacing of shear reinforcement, s to reach 0.75 h but not to
exceed 24 in., where h is overall thickness of member. It is con-
sidered here that this limit is excessive in slabs, and it is recom-
mended that the spacing should not exceed 0.75d. This is
because the difference between d and h is more important in
slabs than in beams and cracks could bypass the shear reinforce-
ment, as shown in Fig. 2.
Slabs with openings
ACI 318-95 1 requires that effect of openings on punching shear
resistance of a slab-column connection must be considered when
openings are located at a distance less than 10 times the slab thick-
ness from the column or when openings are located within the col-
umn strip. The effect of openings is taken into account by
considering part of shear critical section to be ineffective. The in-
effective part is that part of the critical section perimeter that is en-
closed by straight lines projecting from the column centroid and
tangent to the boundaries of the openings (Example 3).
Fig. 4—Critical sections for two-way shear in slabs at d/2 from
outermost peripheral line of shear reinforcement: (a) interior
column; (b) edge column; and (c) corner column.
Optional values for fraction γ v for moment transfer
by shear
ACI 318-951 introduced for the first time Section 13.5.3.3,
which permits the option of reducing γ v from the value given by
Eq. (3), and increasing γf by the same amount of reduction. The
symbol γf is the fraction of unbalanced moment transferred by
flexure. For a corner column [Fig. 3(c)] or for an edge column
[Fig. 3(b), in absence of M ux], the coefficient γ v can be reduced
to zero provided that Vu ≤ 0.5 φ Vc or 0.75 φ Vc for a corner or
edge column, respectively; where Vc = v c bo d , with v c given by
Eq. (4) to (6). For an interior column or an edge column [Fig.
3(b), in absence of M uy], γ v can be reduced to (1.25 γv by Eq. (3)
- 0.25), provided that V u ≤ 0.4 φ Vc . For all slab-column connec-
tions, the optional reduction of γ v below the value given by Eq.
(3) is allowed only when ρ ≤ 0.375ρ b ; where ρ is the ratio of
nonprestressed tension reinforcement in the slab; and ρ b is the
value of ρ producing balanced strain conditions.
The authors consider Section 13.5.3.3 unsafe. The justifica-
tions are given in the discussion of the code.3 Additional exper-
imental data4-7 for interior columns giving further justification
of this opinion are given in Appendix A.*
Allowable values for nominal shear stress and
spacing of stud shear reinforcement
Because of the superiority of anchorage of the SSR, justified
by tests,8-13 ACI 421.1R-9214 suggests the following deviations
from ACI 318 when SSR is used:
*The Appendix is available in xerographic or similar form from ACI headquarters,
where it will be kept permanently on file, at a charge equal to the cost of reproduction
plus handling at time of request.

ACI StructuralJournal/July-August 1999 542


Fig. 5—Stud shear reinforcement arrangement: (a) rectangular
columns; (b) orthogonal arrangement at circular columns; and
(c) radial arrangement at circular columns.
1) The nominal shear stress vn resisted by concrete and shear
reinforcement [Eq. (7)] can be as high as 8 f c ′ , instead of
6 f c′ . This enables use of thinner slabs;
2) The upper limits for so and s can be based on the value of
v u at the critical section at d/2 from column face
so ≤ 0.5d and s ≤ 0.75d when v u ⁄ φ ≤ 6 f c′ (11.1)
so ≤ 0.35d and s ≤ 0.5d when v u ⁄ φ ≤ 6 f c′ (11.2)
where so is the distance between first peripheral line of studs and
column face.
ACI 421.1R-9214 considers a vertical branch of a stirrup to be
less effective than a stud in controlling shear cracks because the
stud stem is straight over its full length while the ends of the stir-
rup branch are curved, and the mechanical anchors at the stud
ends insure that the yield strength is available at all sections of the
stem; this is not the case with a vertical branch of a stirrup.
For the same reasons, the Canadian Standard CSA-A23.3-94 2
allows, in presence of shear studs, a value of vc 1-1/2 times the
allowable value when stirrups are employed. The same ap-
proach is adopted in the remainder of the paper. Thus, when
SSR is used, Eq. (7) and (8) will be replaced by
v n = v c + v s ≤ 8 f c′ (12)
543
with
v c = 3 f c′ (13)
Arrangement of shear reinforcement
Fig. 5(a) shows the typical arrangement of stud shear rein-
forcement at rectangular columns. Each group of studs on a line
perpendicular to the column face are welded to a steel strip or
spaced in a steel trough [Fig. 1(c)]. ACI 421.1R-9214 recom-
mends that, in a direction parallel to the column face, the maxi-
mum distance g between the steel strips, or troughs, be less than
2d. This limitation is to insure that the studs confine the concrete
and prevent widening of shear cracks over the perimeter of the
critical section.
Stud rails can be arranged in two orthogonal directions [Fig.
5(b)] or radial directions [Fig. 5(c)] in the vicinity of circular
columns. The distance g between stud rails in the vicinity of cir-
cular columns should not exceed 2d as shown in Fig. 5(b) and
(c). The authors recommend the orthogonal rather than the radi-
al arrangement of stud rails. This is because with the radial ar-
rangement of stud rails, shear studs placed in the forms in their
appropriate design locations are more likely to interfere with the
bars of the flexural reinforcement mesh.
When stirrups are used, they should be placed in rows parallel
to the column [Fig. 1(a)]. In the direction parallel to the column
faces, the distance g between stirrup legs [Fig. 1(b)] should sat-
isfy the requirement g ≤ 2d, or because stirrups are less effective
than shear studs, a more restrictive limit should apply.
Parameter J
The Code Commentary ACI 318R-951 gives an equation for
the parameter J when the shear critical section has the rectangu-
lar shape shown in Fig. 3(a). The code commentary equation
may be written in the form
3
J y = I y + d ( c 1 + d) ⁄ 6 (14)
where Iy is the second moment of area of the critical section
about the y axis. It can be verified that with the column sizes and
slab thicknesses used in practice, the difference (J y - Iy), which
is equal to the second term in Eq. (14), does not exceed 3 percent
of Iy . ACI 318-95 and its commentary define J as an “analogous
to polar moment of inertia” and do not give equations for J when
the critical section has shapes other than rectangular.
The vertical shear stress v u calculated by Eq. (2) has a vertical
resultant component equal to Vu , but has moment components
slightly smaller than γvx M ux and γvy Muy . In other words, the
component Vu combined with γvx M ux and γ vy M uy are not in equi-
librium with the shear stress in the critical section. Replacing J x
and Jy in Eq. (2) by the critical section area’s second moments Ix
and Iy about the centroidal principal axes x and y, respectively,
gives linearly varying stress vu , whose resultants exactly satisfy
equilibrium. With this replacement, the equation for the shear
stress vu at any point of the critical section becomes
V u γ v xM ux γvyMu y
v u = -------- + -----------------y + ----------------- x (15)
bo d Ix Iy
This equation applies when the critical section has any shape.
Use of this equation avoids the ambiguity in calculating the pa-
rameter J, which has no known meaning in mechanics.
Coefficient γ v
Numerous experiments have shown that the empirical Eq. (3)
adopted by ACI 318-95 is satisfactory for interior columns where
ACI Structural Journal/July-August 1999
 Fig. 6—Equations for γv applicable for critical sections at d/2 from column face and outside
shear-reinforced zone.

the critical section, at d/2 from column faces, has the shape of the where lx and ly are projections of the critical section on principal
perimeter of a closed rectangle. At the same location, the critical axes x and y, respectively.
section for edge and corner columns has three or two sides, re- The safety of design using the above equations has been ver-
spectively [Fig. 3(b) and (c)]. Outside the shear-reinforced zone,
ified using published experimental results. 16
the critical section follows the perimeter of a closed or open poly-
gon, whose sides are not all parallel to a column face (Fig. 4).
Problems arise15 when the empirical Eq. (3), allowed by ACI Inclined axes
318-95 for critical sections having the shape of a closed rectangle, The shear critical sections for corner columns, and for all col-
is employed for corner columns. Similar design problems may umns when the slab has nonsymmetric openings, have principal
arise when employing Eq. (3) for edge columns. axes x and y inclined to the column faces. In these cases, it may
Elgabry and Ghali16 showed by numerous finite element anal- be more convenient to calculate the shear stress at points with
yses that Eq. (3) does not apply for all cases and for all critical
coordinates (x, y) referring to centroidal but nonprincipal axes
sections. They gave the following equations for γv to cover all
cases and all shapes of the critical section encountered in design using the following equation to replace Eq. (2)
(Fig. 6).
At interior columns
V u  M x I y – M yI x y   M y I x – M x I x y
v u = -------- +  -------------------------------
2
 y +  -------------------------------x (22)
b od  I I – I   Ix I y – Ix2y 
1
γv x = 1 – ----------------------------- (16)
x y xy
2
1 + -- ly ⁄ lx
3 where Mx and My are statical equivalents of γvx M ux and γvy Muy
given by [Fig. 7(a)]
1
γv y = 1 – ----------------------------- (17)
2
1 + -- lx ⁄ ly M x = γ vx M u x cos θ + γ v yM uy s i nθ (23)
3

At edge columns M y = – γvx M u x sin θ + γ v y M uy cos θ (24)

γ v x = same as Eq. (16) (18)

∫y ∫x ∫ xy
–2 –2
Ix = da ; I y = d a; Ix y = da (25)

1 l
γ v y = 1 – ----------------------------------------------- when ----x < 0.2, γ v y = 0 (19) where da is elemental area of the critical section.
1 + 2-- ( l x ⁄ l y ) – 0.2
ly
In general, the periphery of shear critical section is composed
3
of straight segments. The values of Ix y , Ix , and Iy of the critical
section may be determined by summation of the contributions
At corner columns
of straight segments
γv x = 0.4 (20)
m m m

γ v y = same as Eq. (19) (21)

Ixy = ∑ Ix y i ; I x = ∑ I x i ; Iy = ∑ Iyi (26)
i= 1 i=1 i=1

ACI StructuralJournal/July-August 1999 544

 Fig. 8—ith segment of shear critical section.

The equations presented in this section apply when the x and

y axes are principal or not. But, when they are principal, x ≡ x; y
≡ y; I x y = 0; θ = 0, and Eq. (22) reduces to Eq. (15).

Fig. 7—Transformation of moments: (a) use of Eq. (23) and
(24); and (b) use of Eq. (34) and (35).
where m is the total number of segments, and i refers to the ith
segment. A typical straight segment AB is shown in Fig. 8; its
contributions to Ix y , Ix , and I y may be calculated by
Design steps
The data required for design of slab-column connections
are: d, c 1, c2 , V u , MuxO , M uyO, and fc′ [Fig. 3(a) and (b)]. It is
required to determine whether d is sufficient for safety against
punching without the use of shear reinforcement and if not, de-
sign the necessary shear reinforcement. The symbols MuxO and
M uyO are the unbalanced moments at the column centroid.
When working with nonprincipal axes x, y [Fig. 3(c)], the giv-
en moments will be MuxO and MuyO and Steps 1 and 2 of the de-
sign given below will be changed.
The first critical section to be considered is at d/2 from the
column face. The steps of design when x and y are principal
axes are:
Step 1 —Replace V u , M uxO, and M uyO by their statical equiv-
alents V u , M ux, and M uy at the centroid of the critical section
considered [Fig. 3(a) and (b) or 4(a) and (b)]

2 2 1⁄2 M ux = M u x O + V u y O ; M uy = M u y O + V u x O (32)
( l ) AB = [ ( x B – x A ) + ( y B – y A ) ] (27)

where x O and y O are coordinates of the column centroid. Ap-

d ( l )A B
( I x y )A B = ---------------- ( 2x A y A + 2x B y B + x A y B + x B y A ) (28) propriate signs for the force and moments must be used; the
6 positive sign convention is indicated in Fig. 3.
Step 2—Using the applicable equation for γv selected from
d ( l )A B 2 Fig. 6, determine γvx and γvy . Calculate v u by Eq. (15).
2
( I x) AB = ----------------( y A + y B + y A y B) (29) Step 3—If v u ≤ φ vn [given by Eq. (4) to (6)], no shear rein-
3
forcement is required. If ( vu /φ ) > vn limit , d must be increased;
where v n limit = 6 f c′ or 8 f c′ when stirrups or studs are used
d ( l )A B 2 2
as shear reinforcement, respectively. When v n < v u/ φ ≤ v n limit ,
( I y )AB = ----------------( x A + x B + x A x B) (30) go to Step 4.
3
Step 4—Select A v and s such that Eq. (1) is satisfied. When
conventional stirrups are used, v n is determined using Eq. (7)
where d is effective depth; (x A , yA ) and ( xB , y B ) are the coordi- to (9). When stud shear reinforcement is used, use Eq. (12),
nates of the segment ends A and B. (13), and (9).
The angle θ between the principal x axis and the x axis is giv- Step 5—Extend the shear reinforcement zone by increasing
en by the number of peripheral lines of studs. Repeat Steps 1 and 2
for a critical section at d/2 outside the outermost peripheral
tan 2 θ = – 2I x y ⁄ ( I x – Iy ) (31) line of shear reinforcement (Fig. 4). If v u ≤ 2 φ f c ′ , extension
of shear reinforcement is sufficient; if not, extend the shear re-
inforcement farther away from column and repeat Steps 1 and
The positive sign convention for θ is indicated in Fig. 7. 2 until this requirement is satisfied.

545 ACI Structural Journal/July-August 1999

Revision of Steps 1 and 2 when nonprincipal axes
are used
Step 1 revised—Replace V u, MuxO , and MuyO by their statical
equivalents V u, M ux and Muy at the centroid of the critical section
considered [Fig. 3(c) or 4(c)]

M ux = M u x O + V u y O ; M uy = M u y O + V u x O (33)

where x O and yO are coordinates of the column centroid.

Step 2 revised—Transform Mux and Muy to their statical equiv-
alents Mux and Muy in directions of principal axes [Fig. 7(b)]

M ux = M u x cos θ – M uy sin θ (34)

M uy = M u x sin θ + M uy cos θ (35)

Using the appropriate equation for γ v selected from Fig. 6, de-

termine γ vx and γ vy . Apply Eq. (23), (24), and (22) to calculate v u .

Computer program STDESIGN

An available computer program, STDESIGN ,17 which follows
the above mentioned procedure, can be employed for punching
shear design to reduce the time consumed by designers. The pro-
gram designs stud shear reinforcement when shear reinforcement
is required. It is usable on IBM compatible microcomputers.
Fig. 9—Arrangement of shear studs in vicinity of interior col-
DESIGN EXAMPLES umn in Example 1.
This section of the paper demonstrates the design procedure
mentioned earlier by means of numerical examples of connec- in.4; Iy = 575.1 × 10 3 in.4; γvx = 0.415; γvy = 0.386 [Fig. 6 or Eq.
tion of a flat plate with interior and edge rectangular columns. (16) and (17)].
The following data are valid for all the columns considered The maximum shear stress is at (7.2, 35.1) in. [Eq. (15)]
here: c 1 = 12 in.; c2 = 20 in.; slab thickness = 7 in.; concrete cover
= 0.75 in.; normal weight concrete is used; f c′ = 4000 psi; fyv = 50 3 3
110 × 10 0.415( 400 × 10 ) ( 3 5 . 1)
ksi; stud shear reinforcement is used with diameter 3/8 in.; flex- v u = ----------------------------- + ---------------------------------------------------------- +
ural reinforcement bar diameter = 1/2 in.; d = 7 - 0.75 - 0.5 = 5.75 208.9 ( 5 . 7 5) 669.5 × 10
3

in.
3
0.386 ( 250 × 10 ) ( 7.2)
Example 1: Interior column (Fig. 9) ------------------------------------------------------- = 101 psi < 2φ f c′ ( = 108 psi )
3
Given: Vu = 110 kips; MuxO = 400 kip-in.; MuyO = 250 kip-in. 575.1 × 10
Step 1 —V u = 110 kips; Mux = 400 kip-in.; and Muy = 250 kip-in.
Step 2—Properties of the critical section at d/2 from column This indicates that the extension of the shear-reinforced zone
face: b o = 87 in.; I x = 50.20 × 10 3 in.4 ; I y = 28.68 × 10 3 in.4 ; γvx is adequate (Fig. 9).
= 0.445; γ vy = 0.356 [Fig. 6 or Eq. (16) and (17)].
The maximum shear stress is at the point (8.9, 12.9) [Eq. (15)]
Example 2: Edge column (Fig. 10)
Given: Vu = 60 kips; MuxO = 0; MuyO = 820 kip-in.
3 3
110 × 10 0.445 (400 × 10 ) ( 1 2 . 9) Step 1—The above forces act at column centroid O whose co-
v u = ----------------------- + ---------------------------------------------------------- + ordinates are (-4.9, 0.0) in. Statical equivalent forces at critical
87 ( 5.75 ) 50.20 × 10
3
section centroid are: Vu = 60 kips; M ux = 0; Muy = 527 kip-in.
Step 2—Properties of the critical section at d/2 from column
3 face: b o = 55.5 in.; Iy = 7.544 × 10 3 in. 4; γ vy = 0.291 [Fig. 6 or
0.356 ( 250 × 10 ) ( 8.9 )
------------------------------------------------------- = 293 psi Eq. (19)].
3
28.68 × 10 The maximum shear stress is at (4.0, 12.9) in. [Eq. (15)]

Step 3—v n = 253 psi [Eq. (6)]; v u > φv n (= 215 psi); shear re- 3
0.291 (527 × 10 ) ( 4 . 0)
3
60 × 10
inforcement is required. v u = -------------------------- + ------------------------------------------------------- = 269 psi
55.5 ( 5 . 7 5) 7.544 × 10
3
Step 4 —Select 3/8-in. diameter studs with the arrangement
shown in Fig. 9.
v u/ φ = 345 psi < 6 f c ′ (= 379 psi); so ≤ 0.5d; s ≤ 0.75d. Se- Step 3—v n = 253 psi [Eq. (6)]; v u > φv n (= 215 psi); shear re-
lect so = 2.25 in.; s = 4 in.; A v = 1.104 in. 2 ; v s = 159 psi [Eq. inforcement is required.
(9)]; vc = 190 psi [Eq. (13)]. Step 4— Select 3/8-in.-diameter studs with the arrangement
v n = 190 + 159 = 349 psi < 8 f c ′ (= 506 psi) [Eq. (12)]. shown in Fig. 10.
v u < φv n (= 297 psi); shear reinforcement is adequate. v u/ φ = 316 psi < 6 f c ′ (= 379 psi); so ≤ 0.5d; s ≤ 0.75 d. Se-
Step 5—Properties of critical section at d/2 from the outer- lect so = 2.25 in.; s = 4 in.; A v = 0.773 in. 2 ; v s = 174 psi [Eq.
most peripheral line of studs: bo = 208.9 in.; I x = 669.5 × 103 (9)]; vc = 190 psi [Eq. (13)].

ACI StructuralJournal/July-August 1999 546

Fig. 10—Arrangement of shear studs in vicinity of edge column
in Example 2.
v n = 190 + 174 = 364 psi < 8 f c ′ (= 506 psi) [Eq. (12)].
v u < φv n (= 309 psi); shear reinforcement is adequate.
Step 5—Properties of critical section at d/2 from the outer-
most peripheral line of studs: bo = 105.1 in.; I y = 64.83 × 103
in.4 ; γvy = 0.278 [Fig. 6 or Eq. (19)].
The coordinates of column centroid O are (-15.1, 0.0) in. Stat-
ical equivalent forces at critical section centroid are: V u = 60
kips; Mux = 0; Muy = -87 kip-in. The maximum shear stress is at
(-21.1, 31.1) in. [Eq. (15)]
3 3
60 × 10 0.278 ( – 8 7 × 10 ) ( – 2 1 . 1)
v u = ----------------------------- + -------------------------------------------------------------
105.1 ( 5 . 7 5) ( 64.83 × 10 )
3 rections [Eq. (34) and (35)]: M ux = 278 kip-in.; Muy = 166 kip-
= 1 0 7 psi < 2 φ f c′ ( = 108 psi )
This indicates that the extension of the shear-reinforced zone
is adequate (Fig. 10).
Example 3: Interior column near slab opening (Fig. 11)
Given V u = 110 kips; MuxO = 400 kip-in.; M uyO = 250 kip-in.
Step 1 —The above forces act at column centroid O whose co-
ordinates are (-1.2, -0.9) in. Statical equivalent forces at critical
section centroid are: V u = 110 kips; M ux = 301 kip-in.; M uy = 118
kip-in. [Eq. (33)].
547
Fig. 11—Interior column with opening in its vicinity in Exam-
ple 3: (a) effective critical section at d/2 from column face; and
(b) arrangement of shear studs and effective critical section
outside shear-reinforced zone.
Step 2—Properties of the critical section at d/2 from column
face: b o = 76.6 in.; Ix = 46.67 × 10 3 in.4 ; Iy = 23.36 × 10 3 in. 4 ; Ix y
= -3.992 × 10 3 in. 4
The projections of critical section on principal axes x and y
are 21.7 in. and 28.3 in., respectively. Eq. (16) and (17) give:
γvx = 0.432; γvy = 0.369. Transform M ux and Muy to principal di-
in. The parts of these moments transferred by eccentricity of
shear: γvx Mux = 120 kip-in. and γvy M uy = 61.2 kip-in. Transform
these moments to the x and y directions [Eq. (23) and (24)]: M x
= 128 kip-in., and My = 40.7 kip-in.
The maximum shear stress is at the point (7.7, 12 in.)[Eq. (22)]
110 × 10
3
128( 23.36) – 40.7 ( – 3.992)
v u = -------------------------- + ------------------------------------------------------------------ ( 1 2)
76.6 ( 5 . 7 5) 46.67 ( 23.36) – ( – 3.992)
2
40.7 ( 46.67) – 128( – 3.992)
+ ------------------------------------------------------------------ ( 7.7 ) = 302 psi
2
46.67 ( 23.36) – ( – 3.992)
Step 3—v n = 253 psi [Eq. (6)]; v u > φv n (= 215 psi); shear re-
inforcement is required.
ACI Structural Journal/July-August 1999
Fig. 12—Drop panels and shear capitals.

Step 4 —Select 3/8-in.-diameter studs with the arrangement

shown in Fig. 11(b).
v u/ φ = 355 psi < 6 f c ′ (= 379 psi); so ≤ 0.5d; s ≤ 0.75d. Select
so = 2.25 in.; s = 4 in.; A v = 1.104 in. 2; vs = 180 psi [Eq. (9)].
v c = 190 psi [Eq. (13)].
v n = 190 + 180 = 370 psi < 8 f c ′ (= 506 psi) [Eq. (12)].
v u < φv n (= 315 psi); shear reinforcement is adequate.
Step 5—Properties of the critical section at d/2 from the out-
ermost peripheral line of shear studs:
bo = 204.5 in.; Ix = 843.6 × 10 3 in.4 ; I y = 635.0 × 10 3 in.4; I x y
= -80.99 × 10 3 in. 4.
The projections of critical section on principal axes x and y
are 73.7 in. and 78.7 in., respectively. Eq. (16) and (17) give:
γvx = 0.408; γvy = 0.392. The coordinates of column centroid are
(-3.8, -2.2) in. Statical equivalent forces at critical section cen-
troid are: Vu = 110 kip; Mux = 158 kip-in.; and Muy = -168 kip-in.
Following the same procedure as for the critical section at d/2
from column face, the maximum shear stress v u = 98 psi <
2φ f c ′ (= 108 psi). This indicates that the extension of the Fig. 13—Arrangement of shear studs in raft foundations and
shear-reinforced zone is adequate [Fig. 11(b)].

Circular columns
The punching shear design steps described earlier in this pa-
per are applicable for connections of slabs with circular col-
umns. The circular column cross section is replaced by a square
section so that the critical section at d/2 from the square column
face will have the same perimeter length as for the critical sec-
tion for the circular column.
Slabs with drop panels and shear capitals
A common solution used in practice to augment the punching
shear strength of slab-column connections is to increase the slab
thickness around the columns; this can be achieved by use of
drop panels [Fig. 12(a)]. When drop panels are used, two critical
sections must be investigated for punching shear strength, at d1 /
2 from column face and at d2/2 outside the drop panel, where d 1
and d2 are effective depths of the slab inside and outside the
drop panel, respectively. The two critical sections are checked
following the design steps mentioned earlier. Plan dimensions
are selected so that Eq. (1) is satisfied at the critical section out-
side the drop panel with vu determined by Eq. (15) and v n = v c =
2 f c′ .
Fig. 12(b) shows what is known in practice as shear capital. It
differs from drop panel in the plan dimensions. The shear capital
is commonly small in size and is provided with no reinforce-
ment other than the vertical bars of the column. The punching
design is based on a critical section at d/2 outside the shear cap-
ital with the nominal shear stress v n given by Eq. (4) to (6). Re-
cent experiments 18 show that the punching failure with this type
of capitals can be extremely brittle; therefore, this practice is not
recommended by the authors.
Other applications of stud shear reinforcement
Stud shear reinforcement can be used and designed using the
above equations to resist punching in raft foundations, footings,
and in walls subjected to concentrated horizontal forces (e.g.,
offshore structures). Fig. 13(a) represents the arrangement of
shear studs in the vicinity of a column in a raft foundation; the
studs are mechanically anchored by heads at the top and by a
steel strip at the bottom similar to Fig. 1(c).
Fig. 13(b) shows arrangement of shear studs with respect to
other reinforcement in a wall. The figure can represent a vertical
or a horizontal section. It is to be noted that the studs have dou-
ble heads situated in the same plane as the outermost flexural re-
inforcement. Thus, the overall length of the studs, including the
heads, should ideally be equal to the wall thickness minus the
sum of the specified cover at the two wall faces.
CONCLUSIONS
A complete design procedure for slab-column connections
against punching shear is presented. This design procedure sat-
isfies the requirements of the ACI 318-95 Building Code. Equa-
tions based on research are used in the design procedure of
practical design situations not covered by the ACI 318-95 Code.
Design examples are presented. The design can be simplified by
use of an available computer program.

ACI StructuralJournal/July-August 1999 548

 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS section with respect to centroidal nonprincipal axes x, y
This study was funded by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engi- αs = factor which adjusts v c for support type
neering Research Council of Canada that is gratefully acknowledged. βc = ratio of long side to short side of concentrated load or
reaction area
CONVERSION FACTORS βp = constant used to compute v c in prestressed slabs
1 in. = 25.4 mm γv = fraction of unbalanced moment transferred by eccentricity
1 ft = 0.3048 m of shear at slab-column connections
1 kip = 4.448 kN θ = angle of inclination of principal axes x and y with respect to
1 ft-kip = 1.356 kN-m
centroidal axes x, y, respectively
1 psi = 6.89 × 10 -3 MPa
fc ′ , psi = 0.083 fc ′ , MPa ρ = ratio of nonprestressed tension reinforcement
ρb = reinforcement ratio producing balanced strain conditions
φ = strength reduction factor = 0.85
NOTATIONS
Av = cross-sectional area of shear reinforcement on line parallel
to perimeter of column REFERENCES
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ACI Structural Journal/July-August 1999 549