Modelling the behaviour of concrete shear walls with BFRP reinforcement

Abstract

Corrosion of steel reinforcement in concrete structures is one of the main challenges for the construction industry. FRP reinforcement could be used as alternative to steel reinforcement providing several advantages, such as high resistance to corrosion, high tensile strength and opportunity for developing a more ductile mode of destruction. The last characteristic is extremely beneficial in the aspect of lateral load resisting systems including RC shear walls. The presented modelling results consist of preparing finite element models of reinforced concrete shear walls utilizing Ansys 19.2 - Solid65 element which is capable of both cracking and crushing. The results were verified with experimental medium-scale concrete shear walls reinforced with steel and BFRP bars. The models were loaded under cyclic lateral loading following a modified ATC (Applied Technology Council guidelines for seismic testing) 24 protocol. BFRP reinforced models developed similar ultimate capacity and significantly higher energy dissipation in comparison with steel reinforced models. The promising results could provide a momentum toward construction of shear walls using FRP reinforcement with the aims of improving durability and energy dissipation.