Cyclic response of a reinforced concrete frame: Comparison of experimental results with different hysteretic models

Abstract

<abstract> <p>An accurate hysteresis model is fundamental to well capture the non-linearity phenomena occurring in structural and non-structural elements in building structures, that are usually made of reinforced concrete or steel materials. In this sense, this paper aims to numerically estimate through simplified non-linear analyses, the cyclic response of a reinforced concrete frame using different hysteretic models present in the literature. A commercial Finite Element Method package is used to carry out most of the simulations using polygonal hysteretic models and a fiber model, and additionally, a MATLAB script is developed to use a smooth hysteresis model. The experimental data is based on the experiments carried out in the Laboratório Nacional de Engenharia Civil, Portugal. The numerical outcomes are further compared with the experimental result to evaluate the accuracy of the simplified analysis based on the lumped plasticity or plastic hinge method for the reinforced concrete bare frame. Results show that the tetralinear Takeda's model fits closely the experimental hysteresis loops. The fiber model can well capture the hysteresis behavior, though it requires knowledge and expertise on parameter calibration. Sivaselvan and Reinhorn's smooth hysteresis model was able to satisfactorily reproduce the actual non-linear cyclic behavior of the RC frame structure in a global way.</p> </abstract>