Numerical investigation on the seismic residual capacity of reinforced concrete beams’ plastic hinges

This research work aims to investigate the seismic residual capacity of earthquake-damaged beams’ plastic hinges, to support the decision-making in repair versus demolition. To this end, refined numerical models of reinforced concrete beams with different structural details are implemented in the finite element software DIANA. For each analysed configuration, capacity-reduction factors for stiffness (λk), strength (λQ), and deformation/ductility (λD) are derived to simulate the effects of different damaging earthquakes. Results show that, even for a slight level of damage, a non-negligible reduction of plastic hinges’ seismic capacity is observed, especially in terms of stiffness