Effect of post-tensioned spandrel beam on wide beam–column connections

Reinforced concrete wide beam flooring systems are used increasingly in seismic regions, despite little information being available on their performance under seismic actions. This paper presents the results of a set of experiments performed on two full-scale exterior wide beam–column connections, which were tested under lateral quasi-static reversed cyclic loading. The control specimen had both longitudinal and transverse reinforcement in its spandrel beam. The second specimen was built in the same way but provided with post-tensioning force. The specimens were tested under a combination of axial force and quasi-static reversed cyclic lateral displacements. Results show that the control specimen reached its expected beam flexural capacity at a drift ratio of 3%, and then the joint shear failure and spandrel beam torsional failure controlled the behaviour. The seismic performance of the specimen with a post-tensioned spandrel beam was considerably improved compared to the control specimens. The specimen sustained a 5% drift without any significant drop in strength. No signs of joint shear failure or spandrel beam torsional failure were observed in this specimen. The results indicate that adopting a post-tensioned spandrel beam can not only prevent torsional failure, but can also improve the joint shear capacity and displacement ductility.