Slabs strengthened for punching shear with post-installed steel and CFRP connectors

Abstract Structural accidents due to punching shear failures have been reported in flat slab buildings. Design recommendations presented by codes can lead to entirely different punching shear resistance estimates for similar situations. Furthermore, design codes do not present guidelines for the design of punching shear strengthening of existing slabs. This paper uses a database with 118 experimental results to discuss the performance of theoretical estimates of punching shear resistance using ACI 318, Eurocode 2 and ABNT NBR 6118 in the case of slabs without shear reinforcement. Another database with results of 62 tests on slabs strengthened with post-installed steel and CFRP dowels is used to evaluate the performance of these strengthening techniques and to propose adaptations in codes to allow their use in punching shear strengthening situations of existing slab-column connections.