It has been recently demonstrated 1, that the overall behavior of reinforced concrete frames can be significantly affected by the shear deformation of beam-column joints. Actually, this type of joints has a nonlinear moment-rotation relationship. Therefore, the semi-rigid label put forward in Eurocode 3 2 for steel joints is also appropriate for reinforced concrete joints.

Pursuing Eurocode 3 classification approach for steel joints, quantitative criteria are required for classifying reinforced concrete joints as rigid or semi-rigid for design purposes. Such criteria should be based upon the following principle: a beam-column joint can be classified as rigid for design purposes only if the reduction of the frame load capacity caused by joint overall deformation is under 5%. Eurocode 2 3 lacks such type of criteria. In the present paper, the joint classification specified in Eurocode 3 is analyzed and its application to reinforced concrete beam-column joints investigated.