Modeling of non linear behaviour of reinforced concrete shear walls by macro-elements

The analysis of the non-linear behavior of RC shear walls subjected to lateral loads is a current problem. Several researches have been undertaken these last years for the improvement of our knowledge on their behavior, which requires a reliable approach and robust modeling, taking into account several significant material and geometry parameters. Based on these researches, a simplified model based on the concept of macro-element was elaborated in order to describe the non-linear behavior of shear wall and, thus, to obtain its strength capacity under lateral forces. The modeling presented in this paper consists of a pushover analysis, generally used to evaluate the capacity of the structure, where the constitutive laws of non-linear behavior for concrete and steel are based on the theory of plasticity. The validation of model prediction capacities with experimental results was also carried out. Finally a parametric study was led to study the mesh sensitivity of the response of the model and to identify the sensitivity of the results on changes of the parameters associated with the model, material and the type of loading.