Influence of the tension shift effect on the force–displacement curve of reinforced concrete shear walls

Abstract

A precise calculation of the inelastic force–displacement curve of shear walls up to the ultimate load is important for several reasons. The curve is needed for the capacity curve, ductility or behaviour coefficient in an earthquake analysis. Using the pure moment–curvature curve from the section analysis underestimates the deformation capacity of walls significantly. The tension shift effect caused by the diagonal cracks under shear force is missing. This effect can become larger than the flexural deformations. This contribution investigates the influence of the tension shift on the load–displacement curve of RC shear walls. A reliable model is introduced and the influence of axial load, reinforcement ratio and aspect ratio of the wall on the tension shift is studied. The model is validated on four shear wall tests, taken from the literature. Good accordance compared to the experimental results could be achieved.