Evaluation and fitting of a numerical model for reinforced concrete thin walls through experimental results of monotonic and cyclic loading tests

Roger Ortega,Carlos Madera,Carlos Naranjo,Johannio Marulanda,Peter Thomson,Gilberto Areiza,Pedro Torres

doi:10.1590/1679-78256575

Abstract

Reinforced concrete thin walls buildings have become one of the most common alternatives for housing construction in Colombia. However, some studies on this system have reported that walls have a limited deformation capacity and may suffer brittle failures. In this paper, a numerical model developed in OpenSees was used to represent the behavior of thin and slender reinforced concrete walls. The model was evaluated and fitted with the experimental response of two representative walls of this type of construction in high seismic hazard zone, in addition to the results of cyclic tests of other investigations with walls of similar characteristics. The experimental response of the walls indicated that, despite reaching a moderate deformation capacity, for the 1% drift limit, the level of damage was severe and lost 77% and 67% of their initial stiffness, respectively, which confirms that their performance is limited and provides a warning that the design practices may be insufficient. The numerical simulation correlated well with the experimental response in terms of displacement capacity, strength, and hysteric behavior.

Highlights

In several Latin American countries, Colombia, the industrialized system of housing construction, which consists of reinforced concrete thin walls (RCTW) buildings that can be efficiently constructed based on the type of formwork and materials used, has become extremely popular
The results showed that the deformation capacity was low at less than 1.43%, which corresponds to the story-drift limit for cracked sections (NSR-10) and suggests that this type of wall does not meet the performance required by NSR-10
These results are relevant, for the fitting of the proposed numerical model but for the general characterization of the behavior of the RCTW, since it is confirmed that the length of the plastic hinge is considerably less than that obtained by the expressions proposed for reinforced concrete walls (e.g., 0.5 lw)

Summary

Introduction

In several Latin American countries, Colombia, the industrialized system of housing construction, which consists of reinforced concrete thin walls (RCTW) buildings that can be efficiently constructed based on the type of formwork and materials used, has become extremely popular. Compared to traditional construction systems, the industrialized system is characterized by reduced labor and material requirements. The walls and slab of an entire story are often monolithically constructed on a single day. These buildings typically have between 4 and 15 stories and are characterized by the use of thin walls, with thicknesses (tw) between 80 and 150 mm and electro-welded reinforcements in the web of the walls arranged in a single curtain in most cases. At the ends of the walls, boundary elements are required in some cases; these elements have the same thickness as the wall web, and their longitudinal reinforcement is composed of ductile conventional steel supported by hoops or crossties

Methods

Results

Conclusion