EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION ON THE IMPACT OF CONCRETE STRENGTH ON THE DUCTILITY OF REINFORCED CONCRETE FRAME STRUCTURES

Abstract

This experiment was undertaken to study the impact of concrete strength on the ductility of reinforced concrete frame structure. Two half scale interior joint with monolithic transverse beams and slab from a six storied residential building were selected for the experiment. The joints were constructed without any shear reinforcement within the joint region to evaluate the contribution of concrete strength in bond stress between the longitudinal reinforcement and concrete. Bond stress has important specific roles on the ductility of the joint in particular and on the ductility of the global structure in general. The models were subjected to incremental static cyclic lateral loading provided by hydraulic jacks under constant axial loading. Deflections and rotations were measured by dial gauges and a video extensometer. It is found from the study that ductility of the structural members i.e. beams, columns and joints increased remarkably with increased concrete strength.