Spatial damage evolution in RC columns under cyclic loading

This paper presents a novel approach to analyzing the spatial damage evolution in Reinforced Concrete(RC) columns subjected to ausi static cyclic loading. The study focuses on generating damage density heatmaps, which visualize the extent of damage across the ۲D column space. The heat maps reveal how cracksand crushing areas spread on the surfaces of the rectangular concrete columns as the drift ratio increases.The maps are generated using image processing filters to analyze visual features like cracking length andcrushing areas. The research database of this paper includes ۴۲۲ images of ۱۰۹ damaged rectangular RCcolumns with various geometry and material properties at different drift ratios between ۰.۲% and ۶.۰%.Based on the aspect ratios of the collected RC columns, three major categories are considered, and for each,a set of damage density heat maps are presented based on the ranges of the drift ratio. The results of thisstudy help the reconnaissance teams to facilitate the visual inspection of earthquake-damaged concretestructures.

Keywords:

Reinforced concrete column , cracking , crushing , drift ratio , image processing , visualinspection , heat map