Punching shear strength of voided slab: literature review and evaluation of design codes

Abstract EN

Voided slabs have been introduced to minimize self-weight by reducing the amount of concrete.

Similar to flat slabs, voided slabs are subject to punching shear failure due to high concentrated load at column connections.

Despite their advantages, the design equations for voided slabs and flat slabs against punching shear failure, as suggested by the current building codes, are derived from tests conducted on flat slabs.

Previous tests on voided slabs, however, showed that the punching shear capacity of such slabs is different from that of flat slabs due to the differences in cross-sections.

This paper reviews the previous works conducted to investigate the punching shear behavior of voided slabs.

In addition, it evaluates the punching shear design provisions of the current building codes using the test results of voided slabs from literature.

Comparisons between the tests result of voided slabs from previous studies and the predictions of the punching shear design equations of the current building codes revealed that the latter are inconsistent and widely scattered.