08.13: Structural performance assessment of steel frames with reinforced concrete walls

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a growing interest towards the use of a composite structural system consisting of steel frames with reinforced concrete walls (SRCWs) as an economical alternative within earthquake resistant wall systems. The SRCW system is classified as Composite Structural Systems Type 1 in EN 1998EN -1:2004. It has been shown that the SRCW system has the potential to be applicable as a lateral-resistance system for low-to-moderate rise buildings located in earthquake-prone regions as it has the potential to offer strength appropriate for resisting the lateral forces from earthquakes and stiffness adequate for controlling drift. Within the frame of this paper, analytical studies are conducted in order to obtain a better understanding of the SRCW system structural performance. Numerous three dimensional (3D) nonlinear Finite Element (FE) models have been developed using ANSYS software package. The detailed developed 3D FE models include the horizontal and vertical boundary steel elements, the discrete reinforcing bars, discrete stirrups as longitudinal and transverse confinement reinforcement, the shear connectors, the top and seat angles and the web angles including the bolts. Results and findings of this study are indicative of effectiveness of the headed studs geometry and material properties.