Numerical modelling of a rc beam-column connection subjected to cyclic loading by coupling different non linear material models

The aim of this work is to study the effects of steel reinforcement array inside the RC beam-column connection as it is subjected to cyclic loading, through the numerical simulation of the joint adopting different stirrup’s arrays: in order to simulate a real case of study, two specimens extracted from an experimental test of 12 RC beam-column connections reported in literature are modelled in the FEAP code. About numerical simulations based on the Finite Element Method (FEM), the non linear response of the RC beam-column connection is evaluated taking into account the non linear thermodynamic behaviour of each component: for concrete, it is used a damage model; for steel reinforcement, a classical plasticity model is adopted; for steel-concrete bonding, a plasticity-damage model is applied. At the end, the experimental structural response is compared to the numerical results, as well as the distribution of shear stresses and damage inside the concrete core of the beam-column connection, which are analyzed for a low and high confinement