WEB CRUSHING OF REINFORCED CONCRETE STRUCTURAL WALLS

Results of an experimental investigation of isolated reinforced concrete structural walls subjected to inelastic load reversals are discussed and evaluated. Walls subjected to significant inelastic deformations and with strengths limited by concrete crushing of the web after flexural yielding are considered in this paper. It is shown that web crushing strength depends on the level of applied deformations as well as the level of applied lateral and axial forces. An analytical model based on truss analogy is used to evaluate the experimental results and to obtain a design equation that predicts web crushing strength. Web crushing strengths of structural walls are predicted as a function of concrete strength, axial load, and lateral interstory drift.