Behavior and strength of steel reinforced concrete beam–column joints with single-side force inputs

Five large-scale beam–column subassemblies were fabricated and tested under cyclic loading to investigate the behavior of SRC Type I exterior and Type II corner beam–column joints. In addition, the applicability of strength superposition method on joint shear strength was assessed. It was found that: (1) the strength superposition method was able to estimate the SRC beam–column joint shear strength with reasonable accuracy; (2) the anchorage position of beam longitudinal bars has an obvious influence on the joint shear strength and crack pattern; (3) increased depth of cross-sectional steel leads to a higher shear strength for the beam–column joint; and (4) a combination of corner stirrups and shaped steel cross-sections was able to provide sufficient lateral support to longitudinal steel bars and adequate confinement to the concrete in the joint to replace the need for closed hoops.