Simplified Data-Driven Model for the Moment Curvature of T-Shaped RC Shear Walls

Abstract

Sectional deformation quantities, such as curvature and ductility, are of prime significance in the displacement-based seismic design and performance evaluation of structural members. However, few studies on the estimates of curvatures at different limit states have been performed on asymmetric flanged walls. In this paper, a parametric study was performed for a series of T-shaped wall cross-sections based on moment-curvature analyses. By investigating the effects of the axial load ratio, reinforcement content, material properties, and geometric parameters on curvatures at the yield and ultimate limit state, we interpret the variation in curvature with different influencing factors in detail according to the changes of the neutral axis depth. Based on the regression analyses of the numerical results of 4941 T-shaped cross-sections, simple expressions to estimate the yield curvature and ultimate curvature for asymmetric flanged walls are developed, and simplified estimates of the ductility capacity including curvature ductility and displacement ductility are further deduced. By comparing with the experimental results, we verify the accuracy of the proposed formulas. Such simple expressions will be valuable for the determination of the displacement response of asymmetric flanged reinforced concrete walls.