EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON THE SEISMIC BEHAVIOR OF RC COLUMN WITH RUBBER LAYER BUILT IN ITS PLASTIC HINGE

This paper aimed at developing a new type of column with a rubber layer built-in its plastic hinge zone, in which the deformation capacity, ductility and energy dissipation are increased and improved. The tests and the analyses of results showed that concrete in the plastic hinge zone of RC column was seriously damaged under horizontal cyclic loading and a large amount of horizontal cracks and vertical cracks with large width appeared and extended in the hinge zone of RC column, and the hysteria curves of load-deformation is reverse S shape. When the rubber layer was built in the hinge zone of RC columns, the ultimate strength of RC column slightly decreased, but the deformation property of RC column can be improved greatly by rubber layer, with decreasing amount and width of cracks, which implies that the damage and failure of concrete are reduced. The shape of hysteria curves of load-deformation became plump shuttle for RC columns with rubber layer built in, and had better energy-dissipating capacities. With the increase of the thickness of rubber layer, the loading capacity increased more slowly.