Title:
Impact of Bar Spacing and Steel Fiber on Out-of-Plane Response of Lightly Reinforced Concrete Walls
Author(s):
Laura N. Lowes, Ray Yu, Dawn E. Lehman, and Scott Campbell
Publication:
Structural Journal
Volume:
122
Issue:
3
Appears on pages(s):
5-16
Keywords:
concrete wall; fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC); finite element analysis; insulated concrete form (ICF) walls
DOI:
10.14359/51745465
Date:
5/1/2025
Abstract:
Reinforced concrete walls are commonly used in low- and mid-rise
construction because they provide high strength, stiffness, and
durability. In regions of low and moderate seismicity, ACI 318
Code requirements for minimum reinforcement ratio and maximum
reinforcement spacing typically control over strength-based
requirements. However, these requirements are not well-supported
by research. The current study investigates requirements for the
amount and spacing of reinforcement using experimentally validated
nonlinear finite element modeling. For lightly reinforced
concrete walls subjected to out-of-plane loading: 1) peak strength
is controlled by concrete cracking; and 2) residual strength
depends on the number of curtains of steel. Walls with very low
steel-fiber dosages were also studied. Results show that fiber, rather
than discrete bars, provides the most benefit to wall strength, with
fiber-reinforced concrete walls achieving peak strengths more than
twice that of identically reinforced concrete walls.