Dynamic performance of angle-steel concrete columns under low cyclic loading-II:parametric study

Tests of nine angle-steel concrete column （ASCC） specimens under low cyclic loading are described in a companion paper （Zheng and Ji, 2008）. In this paper, the skeleton curves from the numerical simulation are presented, and show good agreement with the test results. Furthermore, parametric studies are conducted to explore the influence of factors such as the axial compression ratio, shear steel plate ratio, steel ratio, prismatic concrete compression strength, yield strength of angle steel and shear span ratio, etc., on the monotonic load-displacement curves of the ASCCs. Based on a statistical analysis of the calculated results, hysteretic models for load-displacement and moment-curvature are proposed, which agree well with the test results. Finally, some suggestions concerning the conformation of ASCCs are proposed, which could be useful in engineering practice.

Post-fire cyclic behavior of reinforced concrete shear walls

The effects of fire exposure,reinforcement ratio and the presence of axial load under fire on the seismic behavior of reinforced concrete(RC) shear walls were investigated.Five RC shear walls were tested under low cyclic loading.Prior to the cyclic test,three specimens were exposed to fire and two of them were also subjected to a constant axial load.Test results indicate that the ultimate load of the specimen with lower reinforcement ratio is reduced by 15.8%after exposure to elevated temperatures.While the reductions in the energy dissipation and initial stiffness are 59.2%and 51.8%,respectively,which are much higher than those in the ultimate load.However,this deterioration can be slowed down by properly increasing reinforcement due to the strength and stiffness recovery of steel bars after cooling.In addition,the combined action of elevated temperatures and axial load results in more energy dissipation than the action of fire exposure alone.

Seismic Behavior of Specially Shaped Column Joints with X-Shaped Reinforcement

To investigate the seismic behavior of specially shaped column joints with X-shaped reinforcement,two groups of specimens with or without X-shaped reinforcement in joint core region were tested under constant axial compression load and low reversed cyclic loading,which imitated low to moderate earthquake force.The seismic behavior of specially shaped column joints with X-shaped reinforcement in terms of bearing capacity,displacement,ductility,hysteretic curve,stiffness degradation and energy dissipation was studied and compared to that without Xshaped reinforcement in joint core region.With the damage estimation model,the accumulated damage was analyzed.The shearing capacity formula of specially shaped column joints reinforced by X-shaped reinforcement was proposed with a simple form.The test results show that X-shaped reinforcement is an effective measure for improving the seismic behavior of specially shaped column joints including deformation behavior,ductility and hysteretic characteristic.All specimens were damaged with gradual stiffness degeneration.In addition,X-shaped reinforcement in the joint core region is an effective way to lighten the degree of cumulated damage.The good seismic performance obtained from the specially shaped column joint with X-shaped reinforcement can be used in engineering applications.The test value is higher than the calculated value,which indicates that the formula is safe for the design of specially shaped column joints.

Experimental study on the seismic performance of staggered slab-column joints

The low-cycle loading test of two staggered slab-column-boundary beam joints was carried out to study their seismic performance.The crack development,load-displacement relationship,displacement ductility,and energy dissipation performance of the staggered slab-column joints(SSCJ)were studied.Experimental results reveal that both specimens present short-column brittle shear failure.Furthermore,an obvious hysteretic curve pinching phenomenon occurred.Thus,it can be concluded that the seismic performance of the joints is insufficient.These results suggest that the anchorage of the longitudinal reinforcement of the slab in the joint’s core area should be improved,and attention should be paid to the short-column stirrup configuration of the SSCJ.These results can provide a research basis for the design of such joints in future applications.

Lateral shear performance of sheathed post-and-beam wooden structures with small panels

Sheathed post-and-beam wooden structures are distinct from light-wood structures.They allow for using sheathing panels that are smaller(0.91 m×1.82 m)than standard-sized panels(1.22 m×2.44 m or 2.44 m×2.44 m).Evidence indicates that nail spacing and panel thickness determine the lateral capacity of the wood frame shear walls.To verify the lateral shear performance of wood frame shear walls with smaller panels,we subjected 13 shear walls,measuring 0.91 m in width and 2.925 m in height,to a low-cycle cyclic loading test with three kinds of nail spacing and three panel thicknesses.A nonlinear numerical simulation analysis of the wall was conducted using ABAQUS finite element(FE)software,where a custom nonlinear spring element was used to simulate the sheathing-frame connection.The results indicate that the hysteretic performance of the walls was mainly determined by the hysteretic performance of the sheathing-frame connection.When same nail specifications were adopted,the stiffness and bearing capacity of the walls were inversely related to the nail spacing and directly related to the panel thickness.The shear wall remained in the elastic stage when the drift was 1/250 rad and ductility coefficients were all greater than 2.5,which satisfied the deformation requirements of residential structures.Based on the test and FE analysis results,the shear strength of the post-and-beam wooden structures with sheathed walls was determined.