Force-displacement behaviour of RC structures under seismic loading

• Head of project: Prof. Dr. A. Dazio
• Assistants: Dr. Katrin Beyer, Martin Bimschas

The purpose of this project is the consolidation of observations gained during several experimental test series on the cyclic behaviour of reinforced concrete (RC) structural elements such as structural walls with rectangular and non-rectangular cross-sections and wall-type bridge piers. The key objective of this project is the development of comprehensive, practice-oriented guidelines for the modelling of RC structural elements when subjected to seismic loading. The guidelines should consider particularities of typical structural RC elements in Central Europe (e.g. typical reinforcement contents and properties) and will be developed in several steps. In a first phase of the project, for example, concrete and reinforcement strains corresponding to different limits states (e.g. spalling of the cover concrete, fracture of the reinforcing bars, ...) were deduced from experimental data. These strain limits can be used in plastic hinge analysis to determine the displacement capacity associated with a specific performance of the structural element. The core of the project concerns the deformation capacity of capacity designed RC structural walls. Future studies will, however, also consider the deformation capacity of non capacity designed structural elements.