Determination of Moment Capacity Mp for Rectangular Reinforced Concrete Columns†1

Turkish Seismic Code stipulates capacity design procedure for the calculation of design shear force of RC beams and columns. Therefore, the plastic hinge moment capacity (Mp) at the ends of columns must be determined as accurately as possible. Turkish Seismic Design Code recommends an increase of 40 % in ultimate moment capacity (Mr) to obtain the plastic hinge moment capacity (Mp), unless a detailed calculation is carried out. However, this recommendation remains insufficient in attaining plastic hinge moment capacity for high levels of axial load. In this study, new analytical equations have been derived to obtain the plastic hinge moment capacity of rectangular RC columns in an accurate and practical way. Plastic hinge moment capacity of columns calculated with the proposed equations is compared to the capacity obtained from experimental results. It is shown that the proposed equations yield accurate results