Reinforced concrete beam-slabs with removed corner column under point and uniform distributed load

In the design of structures against progressive collapse, tie-force method under missing corner column is deemed to be ineffective in providing resistance and integrity to the structures. This is because the structure is left with inadequate horizontal restraints to develop catenary action. Previous tests on Reinforced concrete (RC) beam-slab specimens under corner column removal scenarios subject to point load have identified little development of catenary action in the beam and tensile membrane action (TMA) in the slab, and the beam-slab specimens mainly relied on flexural capacity to resist the point loads. But in reality, the beam-slab system is subjected to uniform distributed load (UDL), and not point loads. It is only due to expediency in testing that researchers subject the beam-slab specimen to point loads. Thus, there have not been any beam-slab system tests under corner column removal scenarios subjected to UDL. The novelty of this paper is to conduct one such test with the beam-slab specimen subjected to UDL. The surprising finding was that TMA was developed in the beam-slab specimen. The inclusion of TMA may provide an upper bound or a more realistic prediction in progressive collapse analysis of corner beam-slab systems subject to UDL. The test result of the beam-slab specimen subject to UDL was also compared with that of the specimen subject to point loads, to understand the differences in load-carrying mechanisms and capacities between the two types of loadings.