Comparative modelling of seismic performance of L-shaped reinforced concrete shear walls

Abstract

This paper proposes an improved model for the reinforced concrete shear walls. The main contribution of this work is to provide a comparison between the proposed numerical model and an existed experimental test. It indicates the necessity of performing more complex numerical simulations, in order to describe the behaviour of L-shaped walls. To validate the accuracy of the proposed model, an investigation has been carried out in two parts. In the first part, the numerical model is developed by ANSYS to predict the cyclic behaviour of the L-shaped reinforced concrete walls, which has been designed according to the Algerian seismic design codes. The second part reports a numerical investigation that evaluates the behaviour of L-shaped walls by comparing the proposed model with the experimental tests. The results of this study demonstrate that the deformation by inflection at the base of the L-shaped reinforced concrete shear walls is dominant and occupies nearly eighty percent of the total deflection. The established model constitutes a practical tool for developing and reviewing the conditions of the reinforcement stipulated in the design codes.

Keywords

• numerical analyses
• behaviour
• L-shaped reinforced concrete shear wall
• static and cyclic analysis
• cracks