Strength deterioration due to bond slip and concrete crushing in modeling of reinforced concrete members

In the design process of a new structure or in the seismic assessment of an existing structure, the model plays an important role. There are several available models that represent the flexural behavior of columns to various degrees of accuracy. An efficient model is needed, however, for the simple and accurate representation of the behavior up to failure. A macromodel that represents the behavior of reinforced concrete members that accounts for strength degradation due to bond slip and crushing of concrete is developed. The model consists of nonlinear springs connected by rigid ekments. The defined models for these springs are capable of describing the hysteretic characteristics of reinforced concrete structures with sufficient accuracy. Moreover, the element model is capable of idealizing the potential failure mechanism due to crushing of concrete or bond slip or both occurring simultaneously. The model response predictions are verified to be in close agreement with experimental measurements.