Shear Behavior of Panel Zone Considering Axial Force for Flanged Cruciform Columns

Panel zone is a part of a column web where surrounded by the continuity plates and the column flanges. Panel zone plays a vital role in the connection behavior. Despite the upward tendency of using cruciform section in many seismic regions, few studies have focused on the behavior of these columns, and especially on the behavior of their panel zone. As well, some recent studies have shown that axial load has a remarkable effect on the yielding process of the panel zone. In this research, a mathematical model is presented to consider the effect of axial force on the behavior of the panel zone in the cruciform columns. The model included the shear stiffness of the panel zone in the elastic and non-elastic region, the yield shear and the ultimate shear capacity of the panel zone. Consequently, 432 Finite Element Models (FEM) in a wide range of dimensions are performed and a parametric study has been done. The comparisons of the results of proposed mathematical model with the results of all Finite Element models demonstrate that the average and maximum deviation for yield and ultimate shear strength of the panel zone are respectively 5.32%, 8.12%, 6.2%, and 8.44%. This matter exhibits the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed mathematical relations.