Seismic behavior of concrete shear walls with bolted end-plate DfD connections

Abstract

An experimental study was carried out to investigate the seismic behavior of newly developed concrete shear walls with the bolted end-plate design for deconstruction (DfD) connections, with the aim of applying reused structural components to mid-rise buildings. This DfD connection was characterized by pre-buried end-plates and welding shear studs. The proper design was proposed to facilitate the application for future deconstruction and reconstruction. Four concrete shear walls with different aspect ratios were designed and tested according to a cyclic loading test to evaluate the seismic behavior. The principle of reuse and recycle were firstly both applied to concrete structures in the domain of this research. It can be found that the existence of the proposed DfD connection changed the cracking pattern and failure modes of the concrete shear wall. The interface between the DfD connection and the concrete wall turned to be the weak part of the whole structure. Moreover, the proposed DfD connection had a limited effect on the load bearing and transferring mode for the slender shear wall, while significantly changed the load resistance of the squat shear wall. The disassembly and assembly for the proposed shear wall with DfD connections were calibrated during the test process, proving that deconstruction and reconstruction purpose for this shear wall can be achieved.