Imposed loading effects on reinforced concrete walls restrained at their base

The restraint of imposed strains in edge-restrained members was investigated. In particular, the influence of vertical steel reinforcement between the restrained member (wall) and the restraining member (base) on the mechanism of restraint development was experimentally examined. Real-scale reinforced concrete (RC) walls on RC bases were constructed and the investigation analysed why previous studies, which have mostly utilised steel members to restrain the imposed strain, are inappropriate for gaining an understanding of edge restraint as they fail to reflect the heat transfer between the wall and the base. The results of this study revealed that the degree of restraint increased in the presence of vertical steel reinforcement from 0·37 to 0·72. It was also found that restraint increased over time due to the steel reinforcement and decreased in its absence. A finite-element analysis of the walls was also conducted to highlight the significance of correctly incorporating real-time boundary conditions.