Experimental study on the hysteretic performance of a self-centering frame infilled with a bamboo wall

Abstract

A novel low-damage self-centering frame-bamboo wall structural system was proposed in the present study by combining a resilient self-centering frame and a bamboo scrimber wall with good deformability. Two connection schemes (A and B) between the wall and the frame were adopted. In scheme A, the wall bottom was fixed on the beam, and the out-plane displacement of the wall top was restrained. An innovative friction-slit coupled damper (FSCD) with a two-stage working mechanism was utilized for the connection between the beam and bamboo wall in scheme B, and separation between the wall and columns was adopted to avoid force transfer from the columns. A series of quasi-static tests were conducted to evaluate the seismic performance of the self-centering frame-bamboo wall structure. The results showed that the bamboo wall with connection scheme A was compressed by the adjacent columns after the gap-opening of the self-centering frame, and the strength and stiffness of the whole structure were significantly enhanced. In scheme B, the strength, stiffness and energy dissipation capacity of the structure were effectively strengthened through the adoption of the FSCD. Moreover, compared with connection scheme A, scheme B could control the force transferred to the bamboo wall at different drift ratios more reasonably, owing to the two-stage working mechanism of the FSCD. The damage degree and residual displacement of the walls could thus be controlled to meet the expected performance objectives.