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Evolution of national codes for the design of RC structures in Romania

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Abstract

This study presents an overview of the design of reinforced concrete (RC) structures (moment frames, shear walls and large panels) for Romania and the impact on seismic exposure and vulnerability within the context of the recent European Seismic Risk Model 2020 (ESRM20). The overview is focused on the design of structural elements for bending moment and shear force, as well as on the constructive and detailing requirements imposed by various codes. The design of RC structures in Romania over the past century involved the use of material- and element-oriented design codes, besides the seismic design code. In addition, economic constraints regarding the material (steel) consumption influenced considerably the design process. The observations made from various literature sources regarding the design and construction practice in Romania are used for a better understanding and evaluation of the seismic exposure and vulnerability. In addition, the key observations regarding the seismic behaviour of each particular structural type are also presented.

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Acknowledgements

The constructive feedback from two anonymous Reviewers is greatly appreciated as it has helped us to considerably improve the quality of the original manuscript. The third and fifth authors acknowledge the financial support of the Base Funding - UIDB/04708/2020 of CONSTRUCT - Instituto de I&D em Estruturas e Construções, funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC).

Funding

The third and fifth authors acknowledge the financial support of the Base Funding - UIDB/04708/2020 of CONSTRUCT - Instituto de I&D em Estruturas e Construções, funded by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC). The other authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest, Bd. Lacul Tei, No. 122-124, Sector 2, 020396, Bucharest, Romania

    Florin Pavel & Robert Vladut

  2. European Centre for Training and Research in Earthquake Engineering (EUCENTRE), Via Ferrata 1, 27100, Pavia, Italy

    Helen Crowley & Volkan Ozsarac

  3. CONSTRUCT-LESE, Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Rua Dr. Roberto Frias, 4200-465, Porto, Portugal

    Xavier Romão & Nuno Pereira

Authors
  1. Florin Pavel
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  2. Helen Crowley
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  3. Xavier Romão
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  4. Robert Vladut
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  5. Nuno Pereira
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  6. Volkan Ozsarac
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. All the authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Florin Pavel.

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Appendix 1: List of symbols

Appendix 1: List of symbols

σc:

Concrete stress

σc,all:

Allowable concrete stress

σc,1:

Principal stress in concrete

σs:

Reinforcing steel stress

σs,all:

Allowable reinforcing steel stress

σ0:

Mean compression stress on the RC shear wall web

ρl:

Longitudinal reinforcing steel ratio

φ:

Buckling coefficient

ω:

Overstrength coefficient at the base of the RC shear wall

ωc:

Mechanical reinforcement ratio

ε:

Reduction parameter depending on the shape of the indentations of the joint

τ:

Shear stress

μf:

Friction coefficient

γRd:

Overstrength coefficient

ξ:

Correction coefficient depending on the type of joint and tie-beam

A:

Cross-section area

A′:

Area of the tie-beam

Ac:

Compressed area of the cross-section

Ai:

Web area

As:

Tensioned reinforcing steel area

As’:

Compressed reinforcing steel area

Ash:

Horizontal reinforcing steel area

Ash,nec:

Necessary horizontal reinforcing steel area

Asi,nec:

Necessary inclined reinforcing steel area

Asv,nec:

Necessary vertical reinforcing steel area

Asv’:

Area of vertical reinforcement in the panel

As1:

Top reinforcement areas of the beams entering the joint

As2:

Bottom reinforcement areas of the beams entering the joint

At:

Flange area

Aτ:

Area of tangential stresses

Ec:

Young’s modules for the concrete

Es:

Young’s modules for the reinforcing steel

Hstorey:

Height of the storey

I:

Second moment of area of the cross-section

MEd:

Design bending moment

M’Ed:

Bending moment computed from structural analysis

M’Ed,0:

Bending moment computed from structural analysis at the base of the shear wall

MRd:

Bending moment capacity

MRd,0:

Bending moment capacity at the base of the shear wall

MRdsup:

Positive capable bending moments

MRdinf:

Negative capable bending moments

NEd:

Design axial force

Vc:

Shear force in the top column

VEd:

Design shear force

Vjhd:

Design shear force in the joint

V’Ed:

Shear force computed from structural analysis

VRd,c:

Shear capacity of the concrete

VRd,s:

Shear capacity of the transversal reinforcing steel

a:

Minimum width of the indentations of the joint

b:

Width of the cross-section

bj:

Width of the joint

b0:

Minimum cross-section dimension of the column

d:

Effective depth of the cross-section

dbl:

Longitudinal reinforcing steel diameter

fcm:

Mean concrete compressive strength

fcd:

Design concrete compressive strength

fck:

Characteristic concrete compressive strength

fctd:

Design concrete tensile strength

fctm:

Mean concrete tensile strength

fyd:

Design longitudinal reinforcing steel strength

fyd,h:

Design transversal reinforcing steel strength

h:

Cross-section height

hc:

Column cross-section height

hs:

Distance between the centroids of the top and bottom reinforcing steel layers

kM:

Bending moment amplification factor

kQ:

Shear force amplification factor

kV:

Shear force amplification factor

lcl:

Clear length of the element

lw:

Length of the shear wall cross-section

n:

Number of stories of the building

q:

Behaviour factor

s:

Transversal reinforcing steel spacing

si:

Length of the horizontal projection of the inclined crack

x:

Height of the compressed area;

xu:

Ultimate height of the compressed area

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Pavel, F., Crowley, H., Romão, X. et al. Evolution of national codes for the design of RC structures in Romania. Bull Earthquake Eng 22, 911–949 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-023-01791-y

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