@Article{sdhm.2026.077081,
AUTHOR = {Roberto Felicetti, Pietro G. Gambarova, Francesco Lo Monte},
TITLE = {Punching in Fiber-Reinforced, Net-Reinforced, and Unreinforced Concrete Slabs under Static, Impulsive, and Thermal Loading},
JOURNAL = {Structural Durability \& Health Monitoring},
VOLUME = {},
YEAR = {},
NUMBER = {},
PAGES = {{pages}},
URL = {http://www.techscience.com/sdhm/online/detail/26808},
ISSN = {1930-2991},
ABSTRACT = {Many tests have been conducted over the years in Milan on moderately-thick concrete slabs—with diameter-to-thickness ratios of 5 and 5.5—either reinforced or unreinforced, all subjected to punching, with different mixes, reinforcement technologies, and loading procedures. Their results are revisited systematically in this paper, starting from a thorough review of the literature on moderately thick concrete slabs. The specimens were either square (but fastened to a circular support) or circular. In three experimental campaigns, 99 specimens were tested: 50 under quasi-static loading (including 16 exposed to high temperatures) and 49 under impulsive loading. The first campaign investigated concrete slabs reinforced with polyacrylonitrile fibers, steel fibers, or steel nets, focusing on their deformed shapes and failure modes under quasi-static punching. The second campaign examined the effects of high temperatures on unreinforced and net-reinforced slabs subjected to quasi-static punching, while the third campaign focused on the failure modes and energy issues of fiber-reinforced slabs under impulsive punching. Polyacrylonitrile fibers increase punching resistance under impact, but change the failure mode from mixed (bending + punching) to pure punching. Steel nets increase slab ductility more than steel fibers, while high temperatures promote a shift from bending-controlled to shear-controlled failure modes. The main contributions of the test results are: (a) the varying degree of softening in the slab’s response to punching due to the formation of either small or large punching cones; (b) the reduction in bearing capacity with increasing temperature, which occurs more in net-reinforced than in fiber-reinforced slabs; and (c) the different contributions to the total dissipated energy under impact, resulting from the formation of bending-related cracks and of the punching cone. Overall, this work aims to highlight general trends in slab behavior under punching loads in different conditions, using highly idealized tests (as often done in labs), that provide a basic representation of actual punching scenarios.},
DOI = {10.32604/sdhm.2026.077081}
}