Performance of Buildings With Shear Walls in Earthquakes of the Last Thirty Years

Abstract

The author describes observations of shear wall performance in severe earthquakes in which modern reinforced concrete buildings stood the test of violent shaking, starting with the Chilean earthquake of May 1960 through most of the subsequent strong earthquakes, up until the Armenian earthquake of December 1988. Despile the excellent behavior of shear wall-type concrete structures as compared to concrete frame-type structures, building codes continued, up until the last decade, to give preference to concrete ductile frame structures (which are subject to higher distortions) while placing a substantial penally on the use of shear walls. This code approach was due to the lack of experimental and analytical background information on shear wall behavior. While a large body of information on shear walls accumulated during the 1980s, still more experimental and analytical studies are needed to create a solid basis for a rational seismic design approach. The availability of such information should encourage a wider use of shear walls for earthquake resistance