Modeling the seismic response of thin concrete walls using the non-linear Beam-Truss Model

In recent years, the construction of buildings with thin reinforced concrete (RC) walls has increased significantly in Colombia and other Latin American countries, mainly due to their speed of construction and economy. The reinforcing steel of most of these walls is commonly arranged in a single layer, without any effective confinement. In cases where boundary elements are included, adequate confinement is not guaranteed due to their reduced thickness. Software tools allow verifying the behavior of these buildings under representative seismic events. This article studies the behavior of thin RC walls using the Non-linear Beam-Truss Model (NL-BTM). The commercial software Perform-3D, widely used in professional practice, has been selected for this research. The calibration of the modeling parameters is carried out using different types of walls tested experimentally. The results are then extrapolated for modeling representative buildings in Bogotá. The geometric and mechanical characteristics of the walls correspond to those reported in actual tests, and those of the building are the characteristics indicated in representative building plans. Numerical modeling is performed through non-linear static pushover analysis and non-linear dynamic time-history analysis. The study proposes recommendations and limitations in using the NL-BTM model for modeling thin RC walls in actual buildings.