Yield Response Prediction of Unsymmetrically Reinforced Concrete Rectangular Beams

Main components such as columns and beams of reinforced concrete (RC) buildings are constructed as symmetrically and unsymmetrically reinforced. Symmetrically reinforced concrete members are widely studied and some analytical/numerical approaches are provided. However, unsymmetrically reinforced concrete members are not adequately investigated and further research is required to predict response of these members. For this reason, this study focuses on strength and deformation capacity prediction of unsymmetrically RC members at yield which primarily required for the design and assessment. In the study, wide range of RC sections are generated and analyzed using different section dimensions, material types, reinforcement ratios and configurations to reveal behavior of these members. Influence of parameters on the responses is investigated and they are contributed to prediction equations by statistical evaluations. Prediction equations are first tested with analytical RC section results and comparisons have shown very good agreement. Equations are then applied to predict dynamic features of two experimental MDOF buildings. Evaluations have revealed the reliability of prediction equations in approximation of responses in building scale.