Abstract
Prefabricated reinforced concrete shear walls are widely used because of their stiffness, strength and convenient form of construction, despite their low ductility and energy dissipation capacity. For ease of transport, large shear walls are commonly divided into smaller sections and assembled on site. Steel shear keys (SSKs) can replace wet joints connecting the wall sections while increasing the ductility and energy dissipation of shear wall systems. Here, we present an improved SSK design and a practical installation method for connecting shear walls. The SSK shape is optimized through an Improved Simulated Annealing method to enhance the cycle fatigue performance. Fillet welding and plug welding are combined to save the installation space and delay the out-of-plane buckling. Quasi-static cyclic tests were performed to investigate the SSKs with the welded connection, which exhibited satisfactory energy dissipation capacity. The combined welding method provided a strong SSK–wall connection while significantly delaying out-of-plane buckling.
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