Moment–curvature relationship of flexure-dominated walls with partially confined end-zones

Nonlinear numerical analysis was performed to evaluate the moment–curvature relationship and deformability of flexure-dominated walls with partially confined end-zones. Through the numerical analysis, the effects of design parameters on the behavioral characteristics and the failure mechanism of the walls were studied. The results showed that the lateral confinement in the end-zones of the cross-section increased the deformability of the wall by reducing the depth of the compressive zone as well as by increasing the deformability of the confined concrete. The deformability of the wall significantly increased as the compressive strength of the confined end-zones approaches the applied axial force. Based on the results, design equations for predicting the moment–curvature relationships and the deformability of the walls were developed.This research was financially supported by The Ministry of Construction & Transportation of Korea (03R&D C04- 01, 04R&D C02-02) and the National Research Laboratory Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology (M10400000294-05J0000-29410). The financial support is gratefully acknowledged