Seismic Performance of a New Type of Reinforced Concrete Energy Dissipation Structure

Abstract

High-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (HPFRC) is an ideal energy dissipation material because of its high tensile ductility and multiple fine-crack development. An HPFRC energy dissipation wall was installed in a reinforced concrete (RC) frame to form a new RC frame-HPFRC energy dissipation wall aseismic structure. Two half-scale RC frame-HPFRC energy dissipation wall specimens were designed and constructed. Quasi-static tests were performed to study the failure mechanism, deformation performance, stiffness degradation, and energy dissipation performance. The effective stiffness of the RC frame-HPFRC energy dissipation wall at the peak load was analyzed. The test results indicate that RC frame-HPFRC energy dissipation wall structures can achieve the seismic fortification objective of being “repairable after major earthquake”. Compared with the RC frame with one energy dissipation wall, the lateral load capacity of the frame with two energy dissipation walls was improved by 38.3%, and the initial lateral stiffness increased by 1.78 times, while the post yield lateral stiffness increased by only 20% to 30%; the energy dissipation capacity at different damage states increased by 10% to 175%, while the lateral deformation capacity was basically the same. The energy dissipation mechanism of the RC frame-HPFRC energy dissipation wall structure includes the energy dissipation caused by the deformation of the wall, the slipping at the connections of the upper and lower ends of the wall with the frame beams, and the deformation of the RC frame. The effective stiffness coefficients of the RC frame and the HPFRC energy dissipation wall at the peak load are 0.11 and 0.13, respectively.