Membrane fiber element for reinforced concrete walls – the benefits of macro and micro modeling approaches

Abstract

Listen

Translate article

A novel element that mixes the formulation and versatility of microscopic models, and the mesh refinement of macroscopic models, was developed to predict the nonlinear response of reinforced concrete walls. The element, named as Membrane Fiber Element (MEFI), is described by four nodes, each containing three degrees of freedom (DOFs), two translations, and one in-plane rotation (drilling) DOF, which incorporates a blended interpolation function for the displacements over the element. The element formulation accommodates the quadrature points and weights of the classical finite element formulation of membrane elements to resemble strips (fibers), similarly to macroscopic elements. In this modeling approach, a RC panel element that follows a fixed-angle approach was used. The element was validated against five RC wall specimen tests with rectangular cross-sections and different aspect ratios reported in the literature. Also, the element was validated for walls with discontinuities using data from an experimental program of walls with openings. Comparisons of model predictions and experimental results, reveal that the MEFI element is reliable to predict the nonlinear response of reinforced concrete walls with different aspect ratios and properties, requiring less mesh refinement, and therefore less running time, for an accurate response estimation compared to finite element models.