Damping and flexural properties of prestressed concrete members subjected to reversed cyclic loading

Abstract

This thesis is divided into four parts. The first part discusses the problem of using prestressed concrete for earthquake resistant structures, and examines the "equivalent viscous damping" approach to the measurement of structural damping. Part two describes the reversed cyclic testing of prestressed concrete members: end moments were applied to the members to simulate earthquake loading, and measurements were made of stiffness and

damping energy. An analytical method of obtaining moment - rotation curves for prestressed members, taking account of curvature concentration at the tension cracks, is presented in part three. The last part is a study of the response of an idealized prestressed concrete structure to a recorded earthquake ground motion. The test results given in part two are used to define the properties of the idealized structure.