Finite element analysis of reinforced concrete shear walls
Shear walls. Reinforced concrete. Finite elements. Nonlinear analysis
This work deals with a fundamental issue for tall buildings safety: the Structural analysis of reinforced concrete shear walls that resist lateral loads. For two shear walls (simple planar and U-shaped), the results determined according to the Brazilian design code approximate procedure (NBR-6118:2014) and the grid method (CAD/TQS), presented in the literature, are compared with material and geometrically nonlinear finite shell element analysis (NL-FEA), performed by the software VecTor 4, based on the Disturbed Stress Field Model (DSFM). Furthermore, it is present the development of a computer program dedicated to reinforced concrete shells nonlinear analysis, which is based on the DSFM and a Total Lagrangian Formulation. The program was validated through experimental results, and it was applied in the analysis of the two later shear walls. Thereby, it was possible to observe the significant influence that the stress redistribution and the Saint-Venant’s principle have on the structure response, and the consequent smoothing of the shear walls second order localized effects, in relation to what is discussed in the literature.