Experimental study on seismic behavior of novel AAC prefabricated panel walls

Abstract

To attain sustainability and resilience goals in construction, there is a great need for lightweight and high-strength panel elements with simple and rapid construction, and enhanced heat insulation and sound attenuation. Accordingly, this study explores the seismic performance of novel prefabricated autoclaved aerated concrete (AAC) panel-walls that satisfy the above sustainability criteria. The corresponding failure process, load versus displacement, hysteresis behavior, stiffness skeleton, degradation curve, and ductility coefficient of the AAC panel-wall specimens were analyzed. Different design parameters including the size of the splicing panels, reinforcement, and constructional column settings were investigated and compared to the behavior of benchmark block walls. The experimental findings indicate that: (i) compared with the benchmark block walls, the AAC panel-walls had higher seismic shear capacity; (ii) the size of splicing panels did not affect the stress distribution, failure pattern, seismic shear capacity, and ductility of the panel-wall member; (iii) the in-panel reinforcement can make the stress distribution in the wall more uniform, increase its seismic shear capacity, reduce the rate of stiffness degradation, and enhance the wall ductility; (iv) and using constructional columns can enhance the ultimate load-bearing capacity of the wall. The construction of the panel-wall is convenient. Its seismic and shear performance are suitable for practical engineering applications.