Transverse reinforcement for confinement at plastic hinge of circular composite hollow RC columns

Confined transverse reinforcement was arranged in a plastic hinge region to resist the lateral load that increased the lateral confinement effect in the bridge substructure. Columns increased the seismic performance through securing stiffness and ductility. The calculation method of transverse reinforcements at plastic hinges is reported in the AASHTO-LRFD specification. This specification was only proposed for solid reinforced concrete (RC) columns. Therefore, if this specification is applied for another column as composite column besides the solid RC column, the column cannot be properly evaluated. The application of this specification is particularly limited for composite hollow RC columns. The composite hollow RC column consists of transverse, longitudinal reinforcements, cover concrete, core concrete, and an inner tube inserted in the hollow face. It increases the ductility, strength, and stiffness in composite hollow RC columns. This paper proposes a modified equation for economics and rational design through investigation of displacement ductility when applying the existing specifications at the composite hollow RC column. Moreover, a parametric study was performed to evaluate the detailed behavior. Using these results, a calculation method of economic transverse reinforcements is proposed.