The objective of this work was to investigate the influence of the slab thickness and the layout of shear stud reinforcement on the behaviour of interior slab-column connections. To achieve this, experiments on 12 interior slab-column connections were conducted having the slab thickness and the layout of shear reinforcement as their major variables. The tests were designed using the shear friction model for slabs developed by Dechka (2001). The test results were included in a database developed to investigate the strengths and weaknesses of the shear friction model and the current Canadian design code (CSA Standard A23.3-94, 1994). The experimental program revealed a dependency of the punching capacity of interior slab-column connections on the slab thickness. The experiments also helped to identify rational patterns for shear reinforcement placement and allow for recommendations on the extent of such shear reinforcement. In the course of the theoretical investigation, the shear friction model was further developed to better reflect the actual punching behaviour of slab-column connections. The development mainly focuses on the location and shape of the failure cone. Due to the unsatisfactory performance of the current Canadian design code in the comparison of its punching load predictions to experiments on over 300 slab-column assemblies, recommendations are made to improve this design code. The recommendations are made in a form that they can be adapted easily to the current Canadian code.

Some pages are in colour.

Bibliography: p. 143-152