Recommendations for Design of Beam-Column Connections in Monolithic Reinforced Concrete Structures

Description

These recommendations are for determining proportions, design, and details of monolithic beam-column connections in cast-in-place concrete frame construction. The recommenda-tions are written to satisfy strength and ductility require-ments related to the function of the connection within astructural frame.

This report considers typical beam-column connections in cast-in-place reinforced concrete buildings, as shown in Fig. 1.1. Although the recommendations are intended to apply primarily to building structures, they can be extended to other types of frame structures when similar loading and structural conditions exist. Design examples illustrating the use of these recommendations are given in Appendix B. Specifically excluded from these recommendations are slab-column connections, which are the topic of ACI 352.1R,and precast structures where connections are made near the beam-to-column intersection.

The material presented herein is an update of a previousreport from ACI 352R. Research information available inrecent references and Chapter 21 of ACI 318-02 wasreviewed during the updating of these provisions. Modificationshave been made to include higher-strength concrete, slab-steel contribution to joint shear, roof-level connections,headed reinforcement used to reduce steel congestion,connections in wide-beam systems, and connections witheccentric beams.

This report addresses connections in both seismic and non seismic regions, whereas Chapter 21 of ACI318-02 only addresses connections for seismic regions. A number of recommendations from previous editions of thisreport have been adopted in Chapter 21 of ACI 318-02 for seismic design. Recommendations in this report for connections in earthquake-resisting structures are intended to complement those in the 1999 edition of Chapter21 of ACI 318, covering more specific connection types and providing more detail in some instances.