Published: Građevinar 78 (2026) 1
Paper type: Scientific research paper
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Mechanical properties of UHPFRC beam-column joints with high-strength stirrups

Reinforced concrete beam-column joints are prone to damage during severe earthquakes. Substituting normal concrete with ultra-high-performance fibre-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC), which has outstanding mechanical properties, can improve the earthquake resistance capacity of these joints. However, UHPFRC joints with ordinary-strength stirrups do not reduce the amount of transverse reinforcement, causing construction difficulties. This study investigates UHPFRC beam-column joints with high-strength stirrups and evaluates their mechanical properties under combined axial and cyclic lateral loads via a detailed experimental program. Four beam-column joint specimens were fabricated and tested. The joint core of one specimen was made of ordinary concrete and that of the other three was made of UHPFRC. The test parameters included the types of materials used, yield strength, and volumetric ratio of the stirrups. The experimental results demonstrated that high-strength stirrups restrained the shear deformation, effectively improved the ductility and energy dissipation of the joints, and reduced the amount of transverse reinforcement while maintaining the same seismic capacity.

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