Flat Plate Building and Frame Full Scale Tests for European Design Provisions

Current European seismic regulations do not cover the seismic design of flat plate structures (denominated flat slabs in Europe and in the following) The results of full scale testing on a two-story flat-slab frame are intended to contribute to future code developments are reported in the paper. The design of the specimen complied to the general specifications in the European seismic code for secondary elements i.e. non-seismic resistant. An extension of the approach proposed by ACI318 was used to predict the ultimate drift capacity of the connections. A first testing phase subjected the structure to seismic actions simulated by the pseudo-dynamic technique, including numerical models of shear walls. In a second phase, the frame was tested for cyclic loading up to 2.5% global drift ratio firstly, followed by the addition of strengthening, and a second cyclic test was done up to 6% global drift ratio. The results are compared to the state of the art tests regarding reduced and full-scale tests carried out in North America. The research developments aim to further the preparation of new European seismic regulations for flat slabs, by including analytical models to predict the ultimate rotation capacity of the connections as a function of the gravity shear.