Yield penetration in seismically loaded anchorages: effects on member deformation capacity

Development of flexural yielding and large rotation ductilities in the plastic hinge zones of frame members is synonymous with the spread of bar reinforcement yielding into the supporting anchorage. Yield penetration where it occurs, destroys interfacial bond between bar and concrete and reduces the strain development capacity of the reinforcement. This affects the plastic rotation capacity of the member by increasing the contribution of bar pullout. A side effect is increased strains in the compression zone within the plastic hinge region, which may be critical in displacement-based detailing procedures that are linked to concrete strains (e.g. in structural walls). To quantify the effects of yield penetration from first principles, closed form solutions of the field equations of bond over the anchorage are derived, considering bond plastification, cover debonding after bar yielding and spread of inelasticity in the anchorage. Strain development capacity is shown to be a totally different entity from stress development capacity and, in the framework of performance based design, bar slip and the length of debonding are calculated as functions of the bar strain at the loaded-end, to be used in calculations of pullout rotation at monolithic member connections. Analytical results are explored parametrically to lead to design charts for practical use of the paper's findings but also to identify the implications of the phenomena studied on the detailing requirements in the plastic hinge regions of flexural members including post-earthquake retrofits.