Structural members with improved ductility and method for making same

A method of modifying a flexural member comprised of concrete or reinforced concrete, said flexural member having an initial plastic hinge portion at or near the maximum moment region defined by tension and compression zones existing simultaneously when subject to a bending moment under loading on the flexural member, comprising the steps of:

• replacing at least a portion of concrete in the compression zone of the plastic hinge portion of the flexural member with a compression yielding device adapted to be elasto-plastically or nearly elasto-plastically deformable, wherein the compression yielding device has a length limited to the length of the initial plastic hinge portion in the flexural member;
• and
• maintaining concrete in a zone adjacent to the compression zone of the plastic hinge portion, said concrete having a compressive strength higher than the compressive strength of the compression yielding device,
• whereby the value of total compressive strength of the flexural member in the plastic hinge portion is less than the value of total tensile strength that causes tensile rupture of reinforcement located at the tension zone of the flexural member and compression yielding is confined to the compression yielding device.