A Simple Model for the Nonlinear Analysis of an RC Shear Wall with Boundary Elements

• DOI: 10.5000/eesk.2011.15.4.045
• Publication Date: 2011-09-26T08:00:58Z
• Authors: Tae-Wan Kim; Seong-Hoon Jeong; Tae-Sang You
• Keywords: 02 engineering and technology; 0201 civil engineering

A simple model for reinforced concrete shear walls with boundary elements is proposed, which is a macro-model composed of spring elements representing flexure and shear behaviors. The flexural behaviour is represented by vertical springs at the wall ends, where the moment strength and rotational capacity of the wall are based on section analysis. The shear behaviour is represented by a horizontal spring at the wall center, where the key parameters for the shear behavior are based on the flexural behaviour since the shear walls with boundary elements are governed by the flexure. The proposed model was prepared with the results of hysteretic tests of the shear walls, and then the reliability of the hysteretic rule and variables was investigated by nonlinear dynamic analyses. Using parametric study with nonlinear dynamic analyses, the effect of the variables on demand and capacity, which are major parameters in seismic performance evaluation, are investigated. Results show that the measured and calculated shear forces versus the shear distortion relationships are slightly different, but the global response is well simulated. Furthermore, the demand and capacity are also changed in a similar way to the change in the major parameters so that the proposed model may be appropriate for reinforced concrete shear walls with boundary elements.