The plastic hinge length of planar and non-planar RC walls

Hoult, Ryan [UCL] Saraiva Esteves Pacheco De Almeida, João [UCL]

When using a plastic hinge analysis, the displacement capacity of a reinforced concrete wall is highly dependent on the assumed value for the plastic hinge length (Lp). Most of the expressions that are available in the literature have been derived specifically for beams, columns, bridge piers, or planar (rectangular) walls with an applicability to a small range of design values. This paper introduces an expression for the Lp derived from recent research using an extensive database of experimental and numerical results of both planar and non-planar walls. The design expression presented for Lp is found to provide more conservative estimates in comparison to that currently used in some building codes of 0.5 times the wall length. The assessment expression for Lp can provide more reasonable estimates, which will in turn provide more accurate estimates of the displacement capacity of the wall.