Load History Effect on Cyclic Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Tied Columns

Abstract

The effect of two commonly used load histories on the ductility and energy dissipation capacity of reinforced concrete tied columns is presented. Based on regression analyses of the test results reported in the literature, the effective confinement steel ratio is shown to provide a good correlation with the performance indexes studied. The parameters accounted for include the amount of transverse reinforcement, the axial load level, and the effectiveness of the tie configurations. For moderate values of the effective confinement steel ratio, load history with increments of two times the yield displacement is slightly more severe than that with one yield displacement increments. The limited data available indicate that the effect of load history tends to be less significant for higher values of the effective confinement steel ratio.