New light on performance of short and slender reinforced concrete columns under random loads

Abstract

Reinforced concrete (RC) columns are often designed and assessed under the assumption that axial loads and bending moments are applied simultaneously and are perfectly correlated. Cases, however, may exist where loads are applied sequentially with varying degrees of correlation between them. This study lays the groundwork for the development of performance-based methods of assessment and design of RC columns under random loads. The effects of load path and load correlation are both taken into account. Section interaction diagrams are used as limit states to derive iso-reliability contours for RC columns under different load histories and correlations. Multiple column limit states are considered, including section-based and fiber-based limit states.