| Title |
A Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis on Behavior of Existing Full Scale Reinforced Concrete Shear Walls with Artificially-introduced Opening |
| Keywords |
Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis ; Full Scale ; Existing Reinforced Concrete Shear Wall ; Opening |
| Abstract |
Non-linear finite element analysis (FEA) model is developed for reinforced concrete rectangular shear walls with an opening that may be artificially introduced to provide for functional and accessibility improvements in the remodeling of residential apartments. A commercial FEA code ABAQUS has been used, which can take into account material inelasticity, concrete cracking, geometric non-linearity and bond-slip between rebar and concrete. The finite element implementation is based on the smeared crack approach with rotating cracks parallel to the principal strain directions. The proposed analytical model results agreed well with measurements from the two existing actual scale reinforced concrete rectangular walls tested at the Building Research Institute in Japan. Lastly, parametric studies on the effects of the opening position, size, and shape of artificially-introduced opening on the strength and behavior of existing rectangular reinforced concrete shear walls have been carried out. It was found that the opening being introduced in the mid and center of wall reduced the strength of wall more. An increasing in the opening size by increasing the length of rectangular opening decreased the strength and stiffness of the wall. |