Keys Investigation on the Performance of Wide Beam Column Joints Under Static Loading, an Analytical Study

In many cases, beam’s width is larger than column width which is named wide or shallow beam joint. This joint type has architectural and structural benefits. But the transmission of bending moments from wide beams to the columns was not sufficient and the energy dissipation capacity of this joint was low. The behavior of wide beam column joint is needed extremely study under various conditions. Numerical study is necessary to supplement the experimental method and can explore effects of different parameters with less time, apparatus and cost than experimental tests. The current study is conducted on exterior beam column joints. The studied parameter is beam to column width ratio compared to conventional joints with the same beam width. Firstly, 3D finite element models using “ANSYS” were developed to validate analytical models in capturing the pervious experimental study. Then more numerical models are constructed to evaluate the effect of different parameters. Also, the theoretical calculations depending on ACI318-19 international code provisions are compared with numerical analysis. The results demonstrate that increasing beam width leads to higher strength but reduces ductility for higher beam to column width ratio while conventional beam-column joints exhibited higher strength and stiffness compared to wide beam-column joints. The study also highlights the limitations of ACI 318-19 predictions regarding joint shear capacity, suggesting potential modifications for more accurate design provisions. Overall, the findings provide insights into optimizing wide beam-column joint designs for better performance.