Structural behaviour of reinforced high performance concrete frames subjected to monotonic lateral loading

This thesis describes the structural performance of reinforced one storey flexural and shear-critical frames made of high performance concretes (HPCs) such as: self-consolidating concrete (SCC), engineered cementitious composite (ECC) and ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) subjected to monotonic lateral loading. The performance of SCC/ECC/UHPC frames are described based on load-deformation/moment-rotation responses, stiffness, strain developments, crack characterization, failure modes, ductility and energy absorbing capacity. The experimentally obtained moment and shear capacities of the frames are compared with those obtained from Codes and other existing design specifications. Overall, ECC frames showed better performance in terms of higher energy absorbing capacity and ductility compared to SCC/UHPC frames. ECC/UHPC frames showed higher load carrying capacity compared to SCC frames. ECC and UHPC shear-critical frames without shear reinforcement were able to prevent shear failure due to fiber bridging and crack control characteristics contributing to the enhanced shear resistance of the matrix.