Seismic and failure behavior simulation for RC shear walls under cyclic loading based on vector form intrinsic finite element

Abstract

Seismic performance and failure mode simulations for reinforced concrete (RC) structures are impeded by large deformations and material nonlinearity particularly when subjected to the combined action of compression, bending and shear. Structural deformation and failure analysis based on traditional finite element (FE) often fails for the small–deformation assumption and global equilibrium. Moreover, it remains difficult to obtain convergence results for the existing FE methods by applying general concrete constitutive models for the complicity of anisotropic materials. To simulate the hysteretic performance and the damage development process of the RC shear wall under cyclic loading, the vector form intrinsic finite element (VFIFE) method with independent particles was adopted and combined with the two-directional concrete constitutive model considering the loading and unloading rules to perform large deformation and damage estimations. Concrete planar triangular element and fiber element for steel bar equipped with the hysteretic constitutive models were used to model six RC shear walls with different design parameters. Owing to the merits of avoiding repeated accumulation of the global stiffness matrix for vector mechanics, the planar structural behaviors involving biaxial stress–strain and loading–unloading behavior were numerically demonstrated. The simulated results were in close agreement with the experimental tests, including the hysteretic loop, skeleton curve, bending–shear deformation, and damage mode. This research also provides successive evidence for damage process simulation by VFIFE for RC structures under seismic loading considering a comprehensive constitutive relation.