In-plane seismic performance of precast concrete hollow-core slab panels for basement walls

Abstract

In building structures, exterior basement walls should resist the soil pressure type earthquake load transmitted by the ground. Thus, the structural performance of the exterior basement walls is affected by in-plane seismic performance as well as out-of-plane load resistance. In the present study, for better constructability and cost-effectiveness of the exterior basement walls, conventional reinforced concrete walls were replaced with precast hollow core slab (HCS) panels. To investigate the in-plane earthquake load resistance of HCS for exterior basement walls, cyclic lateral loading test and numerical analysis were performed on four HCS panels with in-plane double curvature. The test and analysis results showed that the structural behavior of the HCS panels was significantly affected by the panel layout. In the test specimens using a single panel, flexural compression failure occurred at the bottom of the panel, and shear friction damage occurred at the upper and lower parts of the panel. In the test specimens using double panels, failure mode was governed by direct shear. The load-carrying capacity of the test specimens using double panels was greater than two times that of the test specimens using a single panel, because the load transfer changed from flexure into direct shear in the wall specimens using double panels. Further, to use HCS panels for exterior basement walls, a design method for prediction of in-plane seismic performance and yield displacement of HCS panels was proposed.