Estimation of ductility of concrete columns under horizontal seismic load

Abstract

AbstractThe ductility of concrete columns, which determined the deformability of concrete columns, was an important parameter in evaluating the safety of framework structures under horizontal seismic loads. In this paper, 231‐group test data for evaluating the ductility of concrete columns under seismic loads were collected to establish a reliable database. The effects of investigated parameters including the compressive strength of concrete, the lateral confinement of stirrups, the ratio and yield strength of longitudinal reinforcements, axial compression ratio, shear span ratio, and the ratio between gross area and confined concrete area on the ductility of concrete columns were analyzed. The accuracy of theoretical models for evaluating the ductility of confined concrete relied on the prediction performance for the plastic hinge length of the concrete column. The existing models for the plastic hinge length of concrete columns underestimated the test results, which should be re‐evaluated. The prediction models were developed to evaluate the ductility of concrete columns based on the parametric analysis, which had high prediction performance. In addition, the design ductility limited value of concrete columns under horizontal seismic loads was obtained.