A Novel Approach to the Parametric Study on the Effective Flange Width of Non-Rectangular Reinforced Concrete Shear Walls

A paucity of parametric study does exist that has investigated the influential parameters affecting the effective flange width of non-rectangular reinforced concrete (RC) shear walls. Therefore, this paper attempts to present a novel approach to parametrically study the effective flange width of non-rectangular RC shear walls. In this regard, an analytical formulation has been established in the elastic region to estimate the effective flange width of a non-rectangular RC shear wall with a general geometry. Based on the proposed analytical formulation and by considering the shear-lag phenomenon, the influential parameters have then been determined which affect the stress distribution, and in turn, the effective width of the section. Moreover, a dimensional analysis has been carried out employing the Buckingham's Pi Theorem to derive the effective flange width of the section as a function of dimensionless parameters. The findings indicate that the influential parameters are respectively the flange width, axial as well as lateral force, and height of the wall which appear in the predictive formulations. Nevertheless, the exciting codes neglect the effect of the applied loading to the wall structure which fail to accurately predict the effective flange width of the wall section.