Micromodeling strategy for reinforced concrete columns: validation against cyclic tests

Authors

  • Esteban Mateo Narváez Vázquez Facultad de Ingeniería Culiacán, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Cd. Universitaria, Blvd. de las Américas y Blvd. Universitarios, S/N C.P. 80040, Culiacán Rosales, Sinaloa, México https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9950-6197
    Competing Interests

    It does not express a conflict of interest.

  • Edén Bojórquez Mora Facultad de Ingeniería Culiacán, Universidad Autónoma de Sinaloa, Cd. Universitaria, Blvd. de las Américas y Blvd. Universitarios, S/N C.P. 80040, Culiacán Rosales, Sinaloa, México https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6402-1693
    Competing Interests

    The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

  • Pablo David Quinde Martínez Facultad de Ciencia y Tecnología, Universidad del Azuay, Av. 24 de Mayo 7-77 y Hernán Malo, Cuenca, Ecuador https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9596-6312
    Competing Interests

    The author declares that they have no competing interests.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.37636/recit.v9n3e474

Keywords:

Micromodeling, Reinforced concrete, Hysteretic energy

Abstract

Simulating the cyclic behavior of reinforced concrete columns using fiber or lumped plasticity models requires calibrations to capture the effects of confinement, shear, or localized failure modes. This article proposes a micromodeling strategy implemented in OpenSees, characterized by simplified parameterization where the constitutive properties are derived exclusively from the concrete's compressive strength and the steel's yield strength. The concrete is represented by a plastic damage model with fracture energy regularization, while the reinforcing steel incorporates post-yield buckling and cyclic degradation. The methodology was validated against six experimental specimens with axial load ratios between 0.00 and 0.22. The results demonstrate average fit indices of 0.90. The model captured the formation of the plastic hinge and post-peak degradation, confirming that mechanical interaction and confinement emerge naturally from the formulation without the need for predefined damage hypotheses or plastic regions.

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References

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Distribution of numerical compression damage and experimental failure in specimen C1-1

Published

2026-08-28

Data Availability Statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

How to Cite

Narváez Vázquez, E. M., Bojórquez Mora, E., & Quinde Martínez, P. D. (2026). Micromodeling strategy for reinforced concrete columns: validation against cyclic tests. Revista De Ciencias Tecnológicas, 9(3), 1-12. https://doi.org/10.37636/recit.v9n3e474

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