A study of simplified design methods for plain concrete walls

This paper presents an overview of testing undertaken to determine the axial load capacity of normal and high strength concrete walls simply supported at top and bottom edges. The failure loads from testing are compared to results obtained using the simplified equation given in the British concrete Standard BS8110 and to an analytical method developed by the authors. The results from other code equations are also compared. The comparison indicates that modifications to the code wall design equation may be required when high strength concrete is used. Also, the more accurate analytical method was found to compare more favourably with the test results than the predictions from the code methods.