Experimental and numerical study on the seismic performance of steel‐polyvinyl alcohol hybrid fiber‐reinforced concrete shear walls

Abstract

AbstractIn order to reduce the crushing damage at shear wall corners and improve the seismic behavior of ordinary concrete shear walls, this paper develops a high‐performance steel‐polyvinyl alcohol (S‐PVA) hybrid fiber‐reinforced concrete (HyFRC) shear wall. Two‐phase studies from experiment to numerical analysis were carried out. The first phase investigates the seismic behavior of S‐PVA HyFRC shear walls by quasi‐static tests. Five S‐PVA HyFRC shear walls were fabricated, designed with various S‐PVA HyFRC distribution heights and locations. One ordinary concrete shear wall was fabricated as a reference specimen. The test hysteretic curve and skeleton curve were analyzed. Experimental results confirm that using the S‐PVA HyFRC at the bottom of the shear walls can improve their overall seismic behaviors effectively. Based on the test results, the optimal distribution height and location of S‐PVA HyFRC that generate the most cost‐effective benefits were determined. The second phase developed a numerical model to simulate the shear wall's behavior in OpenSees using SFI‐MVLEM model. Confined and unconfined constitutive models for S‐PVA and ordinary concrete under compression and tension were established and incorporated in the model. The model was compared with the experimental data and then was used for a parametric analyses, which provide theoretical basis for the seismic design and nonlinear analyses of HyFRC shear walls. Five parameters were considered in the parametric analyses, including the height of HyFRC in shear wall, the length of boundary elements, the ratio of longitudinal reinforcement, the ratio of transverse reinforcement, and the axial load ratio. Results suggest that the plastic hinge calculated by well‐developed equations can be used in the design of the HyFRC height. Current regulations about the boundary element length are applicable to HyFRC shear wall and the axial compression ratio is suggested to be smaller than 0.6.