Evaluation of energy dissipation of slender reinforced concrete members and its applications

The energy dissipation of reinforced concrete members is one of the fundamental structural capacities that determine their earthquake resistance. According to a previous study, during repeated cyclic loading, the energy dissipation of a reinforced concrete member is developed mainly by the plastic behavior of reinforcing steel bars rather than by the concrete, which is a brittle material. In the present study, the energy dissipation mechanism of flexure-dominated members was reevaluated by using a sectional analysis at the plastic hinge region. Based on the energy dissipation mechanism, simplified equations were developed to evaluate the energy dissipation of slender columns, beams, and walls. For verification purposes, the proposed method was applied to various specimens tested in previous studies. Its applications were briefly presented.