Simplified Three-Parameter Kinematic Theory for Shear Strength of Short Reinforced Concrete Walls

Abstract

In this paper, a simplified model is proposed for the shear strength of short shear walls based on the original three-parameter kinematic theory (3PKT). The model is built on first principles – compatibility of deformations, constitutive relationships and equilibrium – and aims to combine simplicity and accuracy for structural assessment applications. The model focuses on shear failures along diagonal cracks, while other failure modes such as sliding shear, out-of-plane instability, or detailing/lap splice failures need to be evaluated separately. The simplified 3PKT is validated with 29 specimens with a wide range of properties and is compared to the ASCE (ASCE 2014) and Japanese (AIJ 2001) seismic code shear provisions. It is shown that the model captures well the effect of all key test variables, and significantly reduces the conservatism and scatter of the code strength predictions. It is also shown that the proposed approach can be particularly helpful in the assessment of structures with less-than-minimum shear reinforcement to avoid costly and disruptive strengthening interventions.