Shear strength of joints between reinforced concrete slabs and steel-plate–concrete walls

In the study reported in this paper, the shear friction behaviour of a seismic-resistant joint between in situ reinforced concrete slabs and offsite-manufactured steel-plate–concrete composite shear walls in a nuclear power plant was investigated. The joint shear friction strength and safety factor were evaluated experimentally based on the Korean electric power industry code. It was found that the joint had sufficient shear strength against earthquake loading by installing top and bottom reinforcement in the slab and then extending the reinforcing bars into the wall module. With polytetrafluoroethylene sheets inserted, it was confirmed that the joint had greater shear strength than the design shear strength. In addition, the results indicated that the shear friction strength at the joint was about 300 kN, that the strength resisted by the reinforcement increased in accordance with increasing displacement, and that the bottom reinforcement carried higher shear strength than the top. Specimens with bottom reinforcement were found to have over 40% higher shear strength than specimens without bottom reinforcement. Finite-element analyses for the connections were also performed to verify the structural behaviour and failure modes of the test specimens. It was found that the analytical model expressed the experimental results comparatively well.