Experimental Studies on Creep and Shrinkage Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Walls

This paper presents experimental studies on four reinforced concrete (RC) walls subject to sustained axial compressive load for 1 year under ambient environmental conditions. The reinforcement percentage and concrete strength have been varied, and their influence on the time-dependent behavior studied. It is observed that the percentage of steel, concrete grade, and age of loading have a significant influence on the time-dependent strains. The evolution of time-dependent strain was also numerically simulated using six prediction models, in conjunction with analysis accounting for the restraining effect of steel. It is demonstrated that although these models have been empirically derived based on tests done on plain concrete cylinders, they are also applicable to large planar elements such as walls, having low volume to surface area. The ACI 209 model for creep and shrinkage is found to yield good results, when applied to RC walls.