Frame property of unequal storey height with specially shaped columns under cyclic loading

A 1/3-scale reinfored concrete (RC) frame of unequal storey height with specially shaped columns was tested under low frequency cyclic loading. The damage characteristic, bearing capacity, deformation capacity and ductility were analyzed. The restoring force model of the frame was obtained based on the study of the hysteresis curve measured in experiment, and the stiffness degeneration characteristics of every storey of the frame were analyzed. Finally the accumulated damage was analyzed with the damage assessment model. It is shown that the seismic behavior of this frame of unequal storey height with specially shaped columns is generally good, but the bottom of first floor column is a weak part, which should be paid more attention in design, and the restoring force model derived from this experiment can be seen as a valuable guide for design and non-linear finite element analysis for this kind of structure.