University of Tabriz Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering 2008-7918 Articles in Press 2024 11 04 Investigating the effect of local separation of rebar from concrete on the performance of reinforced concrete shear walls using the nonlinear finite element method Investigating the effect of local separation of rebar from concrete on the performance of reinforced concrete shear walls using the nonlinear finite element method 18767 10.22034/ceej.2024.59182.2303 FA Saeed Tarverdilo Professor, College of Engineering, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran. Afshin Hosein Sharifzadeh College of Engineering, Islamic Azad University Salmas Branch, Salmas, Iran. Journal Article 2023 11 19 In this research, for the first time, an attempt has been made to investigate the effect of local separation of rebar on the mechanical performance of reinforced concrete shear walls using the finite element method. The mechanical properties of concrete and rebar used have been obtained using experimental tests. Finite element analysis has been done with the help of ABAQUS software, and the interaction modeling between rebar and concrete has been defined using surface-to-surface contact and adhesive contact area models. The laboratory model was used to validate the numerical model and after matching the numerical answers with the laboratory model, the effect of different parameters was studied. In experimental samples, the effect of rebar separation from concrete has been done using 150 mm sheathing. The main variable in this research is the sheath length to create local isolation. The results show that if the proper length of separation of rebar from concrete is chosen, the lateral stiffness of the border element increases and buckling of the member occurs in larger strains than the element without separation. Also, local isolation can increase the carrying capacity. Therefore, this method can be useful and applicable to prevent the buckling of boundary elements of the shear wall. Also, increasing the rebar separation length increases the crack width near sheathing, while the sheathing length at the first buckling of the specimen also does not significantly affect the axial length of the specimens. In this research, for the first time, an attempt has been made to investigate the effect of local separation of rebar on the mechanical performance of reinforced concrete shear walls using the finite element method. The mechanical properties of concrete and rebar used have been obtained using experimental tests. Finite element analysis has been done with the help of ABAQUS software, and the interaction modeling between rebar and concrete has been defined using surface-to-surface contact and adhesive contact area models. The laboratory model was used to validate the numerical model and after matching the numerical answers with the laboratory model, the effect of different parameters was studied. In experimental samples, the effect of rebar separation from concrete has been done using 150 mm sheathing. The main variable in this research is the sheath length to create local isolation. The results show that if the proper length of separation of rebar from concrete is chosen, the lateral stiffness of the border element increases and buckling of the member occurs in larger strains than the element without separation. Also, local isolation can increase the carrying capacity. Therefore, this method can be useful and applicable to prevent the buckling of boundary elements of the shear wall. Also, increasing the rebar separation length increases the crack width near sheathing, while the sheathing length at the first buckling of the specimen also does not significantly affect the axial length of the specimens.