Analysis on the dynamic characteristics of RAC frame structures

The dynamic tests of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) are carried out, the rate-dependent mechanical models of RAC are proposed. The dynamic mechanical behaviors of RAC frame structure are investigated by adopting the numerical simulation method of the finite element. It is indicated that the lateral stiffness and the hysteresis loops of RAC frame structure obtained from the numerical simulation agree well with the test results, more so for the numerical simulation which is considered the strain rate effect than for the numerical simulation with strain rate excluded. The natural vibration frequency and the lateral stiffness increase with the increase of the strain rate. The dynamic model of the lateral stiffness is proposed, which is reasonably applied to describe the effect of the strain rate on the lateral stiffness of RAC frame structure. The effect of the strain rate on the structural deformation and capacity of RAC is analyzed. The analyses show that the inter-story drift decreases with the increase of the strain rate. However, with the increasing strain rate, the structural capacity increases. The dynamic models of the base shear coefficient and the overturning moment of RAC frame structure are developed. The dynamic models are important and can be used to evaluate the strength deterioration of RAC structure under dynamic loading.