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INTRODUCTION
There have traditionally been two grades of steel reinforcement
available in New Zealand. Over time, the yield strength
of these materials has increased. Most recently, the yield
strength of the higher-strength reinforcement was increased
from 430 to 500 MPa (62.4 to 72.5 ksi), known as Grade 500E.
This resulted in changes to the way reinforced concrete
structures must be designed. The research presented here
investigated the impact of the new Grade 500E reinforcement on
the occurrence of bond failure in beam-column joints.
For reinforced concrete structures to function correctly, it
is vital that forces can be transferred between the concrete
and reinforcement. One mechanism by which this occurs is
the bond that forms at the interface between the reinforcement
and the concrete. This bond mechanism is particularly important
in interior beam-column joints, where reinforcement must
transition from being at yield in tension on one side of the
joint to being close to yield in compression on the other side,
and where there are few alternate options for anchoring
reinforcement. If the maximum bond stress is exceeded and
the bond between the beam longitudinal reinforcement and
the concrete in the joint is broken, the reinforcement can slip
freely through the concrete, reducing the stiffness of the
beam-column joint significantly. This is unlikely to cause a
catastrophic failure, but will increase the deflection of the
building if it is subjected to further loading. In addition, bond
failure alters the mechanism by which an interior beamcolumn
joint resists shear. The failure of the bond mechanism is
dependent on concrete strength and confinement, reinforcement
strength and diameter, and the length over which the force
transfer can occur (column depth in beam-column joints).
Previous research at the University of Auckland1,2
indicated that the New Zealand concrete design standard,
NZS 3101:1995,3 did not provide sufficient protection
against bond failure when high-strength reinforcement is
used in beam-column joints. In order to rectify this situation,
a database of interior beam-column joint test results was
assembled and analyzed to determine appropriate design
criteria.4 Based on this research, an amendment to the
New Zealand design rules for structural concrete was
released in late 2003. Beam-column joint tests, however, that
used beam longitudinal reinforcement with a yield strength of
500 MPa (72.5 ksi) or greater and a bar diameter larger than