Abstract:
Previous cyclic tests of beam-column subassemblies have highlighted the effect of plastic hinge elongation in reinforced concrete (RC) structures. This elongation is caused by both geometric effects and residual crack widths, and has been shown to have a significant impact on the seismic behaviour of RC framed structures. Recently researchers have started to focus on the potential for ductile RC walls to elongate during earthquakes. Despite extensive research into the effects of member elongation on framed structures, few studies have investigated the influence of elongation in RC walls. A series of existing experimental tests were analysed to calculate RC wall elongation when subjected to cyclic loading, and a series of nonlinear numerical models were developed to analyse the ability of the fibreelement models to represent the elongation of RC walls accurately. The experimental results confirmed that elongation is highly dependent on the axial load applied and reinforcement distribution within the cross section. The proposed fibre-element model was able to simulate observed elongation from the experimental tests with sufficient accuracy.