Experimental study on dynamic shear-behavior of H-shaped SRC columns under lateral impact loading

This paper investigates the impact resistance and damage mechanism of steel reinforced concrete columns under lateral impact loading using experimental and numerical studies. First, six specimens were subjected to impact testing utilizing a horizontal lateral impact test device. Then, the effects of impact velocity, boundary condition, and impact direction on the impact response of specimens were investigated. The damage development, final damage pattern, impact force-time history, lateral displacement, and concrete strain were obtained to figure out the damage mechanism of steel reinforced concrete columns. The test results show that all specimens exhibit brittle shear damage patterns. As the impact velocity increases, the local brittle shear damage becomes more pronounced. Following experimental investigation, a finite element model was established and validated against the experimental results. The distribution of impact energy among different components and the effect of axial load on the impact resistance of specimens were obtained using finite element models. It was found that concrete dissipates the most energy among different components. However, the percentage of energy dissipated by the profiled steel increases with the increase in impact velocity, meaning that the insertion of profiled steel into concrete elements can effectively enhance the impact resistance of the structure. It was also found that the steel reinforced concrete column is more prone to local shear damage in a large range of axial load.