Experimental study to investigate the cyclic behaviour of reinforced concrete chimney sections with openings
Wilson J.L. & Kilic S.A.
CICIND REPORT Vol. 19, No. 2, 2003
Order No: CR-238
The collapse of the Tupras refinery stack during the 1999 Kocaeli earthquake in Turkey is an example of the seismic vulnerability of chimneys with large openings. Studies of that failure suggested the need for further research on the effect of large openings on the seismic response of reinforced concrete industrial chimneys.
The cyclic performance of a reinforced concrete chimney with two large openings was investigated experimentally by John Wilson at the University of Melbourne. The analytical work presented in this report was coordinated with the experimental study. Both were supported by CICIND funding. The analytical study uses the test results as a benchmark case so that the analytical methods can be used for future parametric studies of different loading conditions, material properties and geometry.
To capture the nonlinear behaviour of the test chimney, a finite element approach was employed. The software package LS-Dyna can model nonlinear material constitutive relationships, large strains and displacements, and equilibrium in the deformed configuration.
The overall response of the chimney in terms of the base shear force versus lateral displacement is captured by the finite element results. The analytical results are stiffer compared to the experimental response. The plastic strain distribution around the openings is presented for the fourth cycle, as are the von Mises shear stresses that indicate overstressed regions around the openings. The crack formation in the finite element results show agreement with those observed in the experimental study.