Abstract
Thin ferrocement walls are the structural elements that comprise the earthquake resistant system of housing built with this material. This article presents the results drawn from an experimental campaign carried out over full-scale precast ferrocement thin walls, which were assessed under cyclic loading conditions. The tests assessed the strength of the walls, their hysteretic behavior, ductility, energy dissipation, equivalent damping, their coefficient of energy dissipation and their characteristic failure mode when subjected to cyclic loading conditions. Finally, an analytical model that modeled the nonlinear dynamic behavior exhibited by ferrocement walls was implemented; its feasibility and potential use in earthquake resistant design of ferrocement walls was evaluated.
Highlights
Description of the materialsEach wall was constructed using mortar, wire mesh and steel bars
Thin ferrocement walls are the structural elements that comprise the earthquake resistant system of housing built with this material
Each precast ferrocement thin wall was subjected to the cyclic loading pattern shown in Fig. 3, where ∆m is the ultimate displacement corresponding to the failure limit state
Summary
Each wall was constructed using mortar, wire mesh and steel bars. The superplasticizer was used in order to improve the workability and penetrability of the mortar through the meshes. The reinforcement distributed in the cementitious matrix consisted of six hexagonal mesh layers with an opening of 31.75 mm (this mesh was placed longitudinally); and two #2 bars at the ends of the wall. The compressive strength of the mortar (f′cm) after 28 days was 33 MPa, and its Young modulus (Ec) was 11050 MPa; the yield resistance (σry) of the hexagonal mesh was 282 MPa, and its Young modulus (Er) was 81 GPa. the yield resistance of the #2 bars was 420 MPa. Test setup and load history. The walls were anchored to very rigid foundation beams in order to provide lateral support. In order to constrain the walls to in-plane-displacements, lateral bracing was employed. Each precast ferrocement thin wall was subjected to the cyclic loading pattern shown in Fig. 3, where ∆m is the ultimate displacement corresponding to the failure limit state
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
