Seismic design of RC external beam-column joints

The paper proposes an alternative method for the earthquake-resistant design of HDC external beam-column joints which is based on the assumption that the load transferred from the beam and column elements to the joint is predominantly resisted by a diagonal strut mechanism. The validity of the proposed method is verified experimentally through a comparative study of the behaviour of seven full-size beam-column joint sub-assemblages—three of them designed in compliance with the current European Codes and four in accordance with the proposed method—under cyclic loading. The results obtained indicate that, in contrast with the specimens designed in compliance with current code provisions, those designed so as to comply with the proposed specifications fully satisfy the code performance requirements.