Laced and normal reinforced concrete beams under reverse cyclic loading: a numerical investigation and analysis

Blessygrant C. J.; Murugesan R.

doi:10.7764/RDLC.24.3.720

Authors

Blessygrant C. J. Research Scholar, Civil Engineering, Nandha Engineering College, Erode, Tamil Nadu (India)
Murugesan R. Professor, Civil Engineering, Nandha Engineering College, Erode, Tamil Nadu (India)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.7764/RDLC.24.3.720

Keywords:

reverse cyclic loading, reinforced concrete beams, ductile material, ductility factor, ANSYS.

Abstract

This research uses numerical analysis to evaluate the ultimate load-carrying capacity and deflection behaviour of reinforced concrete (RC) 90 and laced reinforced concrete (LRC) 45 beams under high reverse cyclic loading conditions. Due to practical limitations, this field has not been explored experimentally. The beams were modelled using ANSYS employing sophisticated nonlinear material models, such as the Mene-trey-William model for concrete to take cyclic loading effects into account and a tangent modulus approach for reinforcing steel to predict post-yield behaviour. The analysis revealed that LRC 45 outperformed RC 90, exhibiting 30% less deformation and 18% higher maximum principal stress at 500 kN, demonstrating its enhanced stiffness and structural integrity. Additionally, LRC 45 exhibited the highest ultimate load (137 kN) and lowest deformation (12.86 mm) among the tested beams, with an average ductility factor of 2.08, making it the most suitable for dynamic and seismic applications. The systematic assessment of ductility, energy absorption, and failure mechanisms under a well-designed cyclic loading procedure and the verification of numerical findings against experimental data represent the uniqueness. The study's innovative use of cyclic and monotonic loading methods in conjunction with thorough stress-strain analysis offers insightful information on the robustness of reinforcement setups, allowing more precise forecasts of beam performance in dynamic real-world situations.

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