Non-linear analysis of reinforced concrete walls under three-dimensional loading

Analytical studies are conducted to develop an effective analytical model to simulate the non-linear response of reinforced concrete (RC) walls subjected to three-dimensional (3D) loads. The interaction between the concrete and steel is taken into account with consideration of the smeared behaviour of steel and tension stiffening of concrete. The proposed model is formulated to address the interaction between the axial force, shear, bending and torsion loads. The shear mechanism along the beam is modelled by adopting a Timoshenko beam approach for 3D frame elements with arbitrary cross-section geometry. The non-linear behaviour of the composite element is derived entirely from the constitutive laws of concrete and steel. The concrete constitutive model follows the softened membrane model that predicts the tensile cracking, compression crushing, strain softening, steel yielding and material damage under combined loadings. The validity of the model is established through a correlation study of experimentally tested RC shear walls subjected to monotonic loading conditions.