Parametric Sensitivity Study of Shear-Flexure Interaction Modeling for Reinforced Concrete Structural Walls under Cyclic Loading

In order to predict the inelastic hysteretic behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) structural walls under lateral cyclic loading, robust and reliable numerical tools are required. The Shear-Flexure-Interaction Multiple-Vertical-Line-Element-Model (SFI-MVLEM) proposed by Kolozvari et al. (2015) incorporates important material characteristics and behavioral response features, therefore it promises excellent capabilities. In reference to the SFI-MVLEM approach, this study investigates the global response (i.e. lateral load versus lateral top displacement) sensitivity to some input parameters, in order to evaluate which input parameters are influential and which ones are not. Seven RC structural wall specimens with a moderate aspect ratio are considered for the parametric sensitivity study. The predicted load-displacement responses are compared with the experimental ones, in order to assess variations in analytical responses. The input parameters here analyzed are the number of SFI-MVLEM elements used for the wall discretization, the concrete tensile strength, the dowel stiffness coefficient for steel reinforcing bars, and the cracks closure mechanism. The study shows that the number of SFI-MVLEM elements does not affect the predicted global response, while the concrete tensile strength and the dowel stiffness coefficient for steel reinforcing bars affect the simulated global response in terms of both lateral load capacity and energy capacity dissipation. In addition, the study indicates that the assumption of sudden crack closure provides more accurate results in terms of energy capacity dissipation than the assumption of gradual cracks closure.