Application Of The Distributed Plasticity Concept In Quick Nonlinear Analysis Of Reinforced Concrete Shear Walls

The paper presents a simplified calculation method to predict, as accurate as possible, the most important characteristics of the behaviour of the slender reinforced concrete shear walls in the inelastic range: failure mode, strength capacity, flexural and shear deformations, sectional and element ductility. The formulation is based on nonlinear beam element with taking into account the influence of shear, both on strength and stiffness of the wall. The principal parameters incorporated in the calculation model are: the rectangular shape of the cross section, the aspect ratio of the wall, the most accurate constitutive relationships for the compressed concrete and for the reinforcement steel, both in compression and in tension (including the strengthening of the steel after yielding), the variation of the Poisson ratio of the concrete, the amount and distribution of the vertical reinforcement. The model uses the concept of distributed (smeared) plasticity along the element and so the flexural deformations are computed by integrating the actual curvatures on the height of the wall. The shear deformations are also calculated, in agreement with the results of some recent experimental researches. The calculation method was then applied to two experimental wall specimens and their force – horizontal top displacement curves were plotted.