Shake Table Tests of Reinforced Concrete Flat Plate Frames and Post-tensioned Flat Plate Frames

A research study was undertaken to assess performance of flat plate systems constructed with slab shear reinforcement under dynamic loads. The research program consisted of shake table tests and accompanying analytical studies of two, approximately one-third scale, two-story, two-bay, slab-column frames. One specimen was constructed with reinforced concrete (RC) slab, whereas the other specimen consisted of post-tensioned (PT) slab. The shear capacity of the slab-column connections was enhanced by the use of stud-rails for both specimens. Lateral drift ratios of approximately 3% and 4% were achieved during testing for the RC and PT frames, respectively, with relatively little loss of lateral load capacity. Although slab-column punching failures occurred for both specimens, the degree of damage observed was limited compared with tests on specimens without shear reinforcement under slowly varying loads. Good agreement between analytical and experimental results was achieved by using an innovative modeling approach.