Experimental study of the size effect on punching shear of steel fiber reinforced concrete slabs

As the behavior and design of steel fiber reinforced concrete slabs subjected to punching still remain an area of concern, the present work aims to provide a further contribution to the knowledge on punching behavior of slabs without transverse reinforcement. The results of an experimental program on nine slab–column connections are presented with emphasis on the influence of size effect and steel fiber content. Experimental results show that fibers can significantly increase both strength and deformation capacity. In conclusion, the evaluation of the new Eurocode 2 (Annex L) against the specimens herein tested is presented and discussed. Thanks to the use of 2D Digital Image Correlation, tiltmeters as well as the analyses of slabs after cutting, several critical considerations were made.