Damage indexes for performance assessment of low-rise reinforced concrete walls

Damage assessment methodologies and damage indexes are required to be used with performance-base design methodologies. Among current damage indexes found in the literature, most of them are applicable for flexure-controlled elements. As a result, existing DI are not appropriate for shear-controlled components like those found in low-rise reinforced concrete (RC) houses of Latin America. In this chapter, the concept of Damage Index (DI) is used to assess damage in low-rise RC walls in a quantitative manner. The procedures, parameters, advantages and drawbacks of four damage indexes are summarized and discussed. The calibration of these damage indexes used the results obtained from quasi-static monotonic and reversed-cyclic tests performed on 39 thin RC walls constructed with typical characteristics of low-rise housing. In the DIs proposed, several structural parameters are used as inputs of mathematical functions. DI values for limit states and performance levels applicable to low-rise housing are also presented.