This paper presents the results of an analytical study on the nonlinear deformation and ductility response of reinforced concrete ductile coupled shear walls (CSWs) under seismic loadings. The CSWs were designed, calculated, and detailed in compliance with the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) 1995 and the Canadian Concrete Standard CAN3-A23.3-94. The parameters and assumptions of the study as well as the description of the models and the procedure were fully described elsewhere. Results indicated that the maximum interstorey drift from dynamic analyses was well below that obtained from static analyses with NBCC specified lateral forces. It was also found to be substantially lower for tall CSWs compared to short or medium-height walls, and decreased only slightly as the degree of coupling increased within the range considered in this study. It was also highest for seismic records with low PGA/PGV ratios. Plastic hinge rotations as well as accumulated plastic hinge rotations generally decreased as the number of storeys increased. The maximum displacement ductility demand factor remained below the NBCC value of 4.0 specified for ductile CSWs. The influence of degree of coupling on the maximum displacement ductility demand factor was found negligible. Also, the maximum displacement ductility demand factor generally decreased as the number of storeys increased. The maximum rotational ductility demand factor in coupling beams decreased as the number of storeys increased and was generally less than the practical accepted limit of 10, except for a few short CSWs.Key words: coupled shear walls, reinforced concrete, seismic, degree of coupling, frequency content, interstorey drift, plastic hinge deformation, ductility.
Simplified nonlinear analysis of reinforced concrete coupling beams subjected to cyclic loading
