Owing to its discrete element nature, as well as computational efficiency, the Applied Element Method (AEM) has in the recent years been increasingly employed to assess the failure mechanisms, involving flexural and torsional structural behaviour, and ensuing debris distribution of collapsed structures. Its use in the detailed estimation of local response parameters such as e.g. strains, curvature and deformation of Reinforced Concrete (RC) elements seems instead not to have been so far reported. In the present work, therefore, we explore the feasibility of using the AEM to reproduce the response of two half-scale reinforced concrete U-shaped wall specimens tested under axial-flexure and axial-torsion conditions. This study, after a brief overview of the existing literature on the numerical modelling of non-planar RC elements and the introduction of the considered case studies, introduces the AEM formulation and describes the simulation of the cyclic tests, and, finally, discusses the accuracy of the adopted modelling approach with respect to the experimental results. Such comparisons, carried out from both global and local viewpoints, seem to indicate a good capability of the employed modelling approach, with a relatively modest computational cost.
Applied Element Modelling of cyclic flexural and torsional response of non-planar RC walls
Orgnoni, Andrea;Pinho, Rui
2026-01-01
Abstract
Owing to its discrete element nature, as well as computational efficiency, the Applied Element Method (AEM) has in the recent years been increasingly employed to assess the failure mechanisms, involving flexural and torsional structural behaviour, and ensuing debris distribution of collapsed structures. Its use in the detailed estimation of local response parameters such as e.g. strains, curvature and deformation of Reinforced Concrete (RC) elements seems instead not to have been so far reported. In the present work, therefore, we explore the feasibility of using the AEM to reproduce the response of two half-scale reinforced concrete U-shaped wall specimens tested under axial-flexure and axial-torsion conditions. This study, after a brief overview of the existing literature on the numerical modelling of non-planar RC elements and the introduction of the considered case studies, introduces the AEM formulation and describes the simulation of the cyclic tests, and, finally, discusses the accuracy of the adopted modelling approach with respect to the experimental results. Such comparisons, carried out from both global and local viewpoints, seem to indicate a good capability of the employed modelling approach, with a relatively modest computational cost.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
