Effects of axial load on seismic performance of reinforced concrete walls with short shear span

The superimposed reinforced concrete wall in which both the walls and slabs are semi-precast superimposed reinforced concrete components has been widely used to construct high-rise residential buildings in some seismic regions of China. This article aims to investigate the seismic performance and reveal the inherent damage mechanism of this wall. Quasi-static tests of two full-scale superimposed reinforced concrete walls with I-shaped cross sections, consisting of the walls in orthogonal directions and two T-shaped cast-in-place boundary elements, were conducted. Through the test, the behavior of the horizontal joints between the wall panels and the foundation; the behavior of the vertical connections between the wall panels of orthogonal direction; the reliability of the connections between precast and cast-in-place concrete; and the lateral load, deformation, and energy dissipation capacities of the specimens are evaluated. In addition, a refined numerical model based on the multi-spring model was adopted to assess the seismic performance of the superimposed reinforced concrete walls with I-shaped cross sections. The reliability of this model was validated through comparison with the experimental data. This study offers valuable experimental data and numerical model references for future seismic performance assessments of superimposed reinforced concrete wall structures.

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Seismic performance of squat thin reinforced concrete walls for low-rise constructions

Earthquake Spectra ◽

10.1177/8755293020906841 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 36 (3) ◽

pp. 1074-1095 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Matías A Hube ◽

Hernán Santa María ◽

Orlando Arroyo ◽

Alvaro Vargas ◽

Javier Almeida ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Reinforced Concrete ◽

Seismic Performance ◽

Latin American ◽

Seismic Behavior ◽

Nonlinear Models ◽

Single Layer ◽

Experimental Results ◽

Concrete Walls ◽

Reinforced Concrete Walls ◽

Web Reinforcement

Thin reinforced concrete (RC) walls with single layer reinforcement have been used for houses and buildings in several Latin American countries. Although some design codes include recommendations for squat thin walls in low-rise constructions, its seismic performance has not been validated adequately in past earthquakes. This article presents the results of an experimental campaign of nine full-scale specimens conducted to characterize the influence of the steel type, the reinforcement ratio, and the wall thickness on the seismic behavior of squat thin RC walls with single layer reinforcement. Both welded wire and deformed bars were used as web reinforcement. Experimental results are used to develop nonlinear models to assess the seismic behavior of a prototype two-story house with welded wire reinforcement and deformed bars by means of incremental dynamic analyses. The experimental results show that the type of steel has the largest influence on wall seismic performance. The numerical results suggest that RC walls with single layer reinforcement are suitable for housing applications up to two stories in high seismicity regions, particularly walls detailed with deformed bars.

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