Sectional response of non-rectangular concrete walls with minimum vertical reinforcement

Past research that investigated the behaviour of rectangular lightly reinforced concrete walls resulted in revisions to minimum vertical reinforcement provisions in concrete design standards in both New Zealand (NZS 3101:2006) and the United States (ACI 318-19). However, the minimum vertical reinforcement provisions developed for rectangular wall sections may not be suitable for non-rectangular walls due to the influence of flanges on the nominal flexural and cracking section capacities. A parametric study confirmed that non-rectangular wall sections with minimum vertical reinforcement in accordance with current NZS 3101 design provisions exhibit a lower margin between cracking and nominal flexural strength than comparable rectangular wall sections. The ratio of the sectional nominal flexural strength to cracking strength (Mn/Mcr ) was less than 1.0 for non-rectangular sections with long flange lengths and low axial loads. The model results indicated that current vertical reinforcement requirements are insufficient to prevent a sudden and potentially unstable strength drop when cracking occurs in non-rectangular walls. A theoretical equation to calculate the required minimum vertical reinforcement was proposed for the typical I-shaped wall sections, including the impact of concrete strength and flange to web ratio. The proposed equation highlighted the need for an increase in the minimum vertical reinforcement limits for non-rectangular wall sections compared to the existing minimum vertical reinforcement requirement applicable to rectangular wall sections.