Structural Connections in Reinforced Concrete Buildings

Dear Colleagues,

Structural connections play a fundamental role in the performance and reliability of reinforced concrete buildings. Typical connections include beam-to-column, beam-to-wall, column-to-foundation, slab-to-wall, and wall-to-foundation joints. The global stability and structural integrity of a building depend heavily on the reliable behavior of these connections. Properly designed connections ensure an efficient transfer of forces between structural members and enable the structure to perform safely under various loading conditions.

Structural connections in reinforced concrete buildings are commonly formed using reinforcing bars or anchorages. Advances in material technologies and construction methods have led to the development and increasing use of innovative reinforcement and anchorage systems. These include high-strength steel reinforcing bars, fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforcement, post-installed anchors, adhesive anchors, and anchor channels. At the same time, new concrete materials such as fiber-reinforced concrete, ultra-high-performance concrete, and geopolymer concrete are gaining attention in structural applications.

While these advances provide significant opportunities for improving structural performance, it is essential to understand how different connection systems interact with modern construction materials. Reliable design requires a comprehensive understanding of bond mechanisms, anchorage behavior, load transfer mechanisms, and failure modes under different loading conditions.

This Special Issue aims to highlight recent advances in the analysis, design, and performance of structural connections in reinforced concrete buildings. It provides a platform for researchers and practitioners to present new findings related to experimental investigations, analytical developments, numerical modeling, and performance-based design approaches. Contributions addressing both fundamental research and practical engineering applications are welcome.

The editors invite manuscripts on topics including, but not limited to, the behavior and design of anchorages, bond mechanisms between reinforcement and concrete, retrofitting and rehabilitation of structural connections, numerical modeling approaches, and the performance of connections under various loading scenarios.

Dr. Akanshu Sharma
Guest Editor

Dr. Gaurav Chobe
Guest Editor Assistant

Manuscript Submission Information

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