Modeling of Cyclic Shear-Flexure Interaction in Reinforced Concrete Structural Walls. I: Theory

Existing approaches used to model the lateral load versus deformation responses of reinforced concrete walls typically assume uncoupled axial/flexural and shear responses. A novel analytical model for RC walls that captures interaction between these responses for reversed-cyclic loading conditions is described. The proposed modeling approach incorporates RC panel behavior into a two-dimensional fiber-based macroscopic model. The coupling of axial and shear responses is achieved at the macrofiber (panel) level, which further allows coupling of flexural and shear responses at the model element level. The behavior of RC panel elements under generalized, in-plane, reversed-cyclic loading conditions is described with a constitutive fixed-strut-angle panel model formulation. The sensitivity of model results to various modeling parameters is investigated and results of the sensitivity studies are presented, whereas detailed information on calibration and validation of the proposed modeling approach is presented in a companion paper.