Behavior Of Shear Walls Research Articles

Nonlinear Dynamic Behavior of Semi-Supported Steel Shear Walls

Despite the many advantages of steel shear walls, such as high strength and stiffness, good ductility and high energy dissipation, the increase in the size of columns next to the steel shear walls is a drawback that affects the use of this system. In order to achieve an economic design while keeping design essentials and optimal performance, a novel steel shear wall system called “semi-supported steel shear wall (SSSW)” was proposed, in which the wall plate is attached to the secondary columns instead of the primary columns of the frame. The secondary columns are only responsible for creating the tension field in the plate and the lateral load rather than partnership in the toleration of gravity loads. In this paper, due to the lack of knowledge on the dynamic behavior of steel plate shear walls in general and SSSW in particular, the nonlinear dynamic behavior of SSSWs is investigated. The explicit finite element method is used for analysis and the results are verified by the laboratory test results. The results of the nonlinear dynamic analysis show that semi-supported shear walls have a very good dynamic performance in increasing stiffness and reducing the lateral displacement of the structure. The effects of various parameters of SSSW on its dynamic behavior are also investigated.

Research on seismic behavior of precast concrete shear wall with new steel plate-bolted horizontal connection

A new type of steel plate-bolted horizontal connection for precast concrete shear wall is proposed in this paper. To investigate the seismic performance of the precast concrete shear wall with the new steel plate-bolted horizontal connection (SPB-PSW), quasi-static tests were conducted on two SPB-PSWs (PSW-1 and PSW-2 with axial compression ratios of 0.1 and 0.2, respectively), as well as one cast-in-place concrete shear wall (SW-1, with an axial compression ratio of 0.1). The test results indicate that the proposed new connection type can increase the horizontal bearing capacity of the shear walls by 5.3 %, enhance the energy dissipation capacity by over 14.8 %, and improve ductility by 32 %. For the three shear walls, the SW-1 suffered severe damage at the bottom and corner of the wall, whereas the damage location for the two SPB-PSWs moved upwards. The specimen PSW-2 exhibited a 6.9 % higher bearing capacity compared to the PSW-1, but its ductility decreased by 10.5 % and the energy dissipation was slightly smaller. Furthermore, the effects of shear span ratio and steel plates on the seismic performance of SPB-PSWs were studied using nonlinear finite element method (FEM). The FEM results indicate that increasing the strength and thickness of the connecting steel plate have little influence on the load-bearing capacity of SPB-PSWs. Compared to the SPB-PSW with a shear span ratio of 1.94, the horizontal bearing capacity of SPB-PSWs with ratios of 1.48 and 2.40 decreases by 24.0 % and increases by 26.1 %, respectively, indicating that the horizontal bearing capacity of the SPB-PSWs decreases when the shear span ratio increases.

Experimental and numerical study on mechanical behavior of RC shear walls with precast steel-concrete composite module in nuclear power plant

Reinforced concrete (RC) shear walls with precast steel-concrete composite modular (PSCCM) are strongly recommended in the structural design of nuclear power plants due to the need for a large number of process pipeline crossings and industrial construction. However, the effect of the PSCCM on the mechanical behavior of the whole RC shear wall is still unknown and has received little attention. In this study, three 1:3 scaled specimens, one traditional shear wall specimen (TW) and two shear wall specimens with the PSCCM (PW1, PW2), were designed and investigated under cyclic loadings. The failure mode, hysteretic curve, energy dissipation, stiffness and strength degradations were then comparatively investigated to reveal the effect of the PSCCM. Furthermore, numerical models of the RC shear wall with different PSCCM distributions were analyzed. The results show that the shear wall with the PSCCM has comparable mechanical properties with the traditional shear wall, which can be further improved by adding reinforced concrete constraints on both sides of the shear wall. The accumulated energy dissipation of the PW2 is higher than that of the TW and PW1 by 98.7 % and 60.0 %. The failure of the shear wall with the PSCCM is mainly concentrated in the reinforced concrete wall below the PSCCM, while the PSCCM maintains an elastic working state as a whole. Shear walls with the PSCCM arranged in the high stress zone will have a higher load-bearing capacity and lateral stiffness, but will suffer a higher risk of failure. The PSCCM in the low stress zone is always in an elastic working state.

Machine learning-based prediction of hysteretic behaviors of two-side clamped steel shear walls

This study proposes a methodology that can construct the hysteretic curves of two-side clamped steel shear walls (TCSSWs) using a machine learning technology to address the inherent deficiencies of multivariable regression analysis which has been typically used for developing the hysteretic model of a common structural element. A deep neural network (DNN) is adopted for this study and a new architecture is proposed by modifying numbers of neurons and hidden layers to well capture the cyclic response of TCSSWs. Using a training datasets DNN architectures with several combinations of input parameters and configurations relating to numbers of neurons and hidden layers had been trained. This study considers a total of 70 DNN architectures and selects the best-fitting DNN architecture which produces the minimum mean-square-error value. Estimates from the proposed DNN architecture are evaluated with a test dataset and their accuracy is acceptable. Finally, the selected DNN architecture is further verified with a validation dataset consisting of TCSSWs with different material properties of steel. The modeling parameters for the hysteretic curves of TCSSWs can be properly captured by the proposed DNN architecture.

Seismic performance of RC frame structures with infill CLT shear walls

This paper focuses on the newly proposed RC-CLT hybrid wall systems used in residential buildings. Cyclic loading tests were conducted using 2-storey specimens, to confirm the seismic performance and behavior of the hybrid system and also to investigate the behavior of the RC beams in mid-level and the transmission of shear stress by the CLT wall from upper to lower level. The experimental results showed that CLT could potentially be more superior than RC wall infill in terms of ductility, due to CLT exhibiting higher inter-story drift during shear failure. Furthermore, this study proposes numerical models to simulate the experimental results of the hybrid systems. The RC structural members were modeled using linear elements with MS model inserted at the ends to consider for the N-M interactions. As for the CLT wall, it was modeled using several braced models. The numerical results generally show good agreements with the experimental results. As a result, the numerical model proposed in this study can contribute to better predict the structural behavior of CLT shear wall infilled RC frame with concealed steel plate and drift pin connections.

Experimental and numerical study on the load-bearing capacity, ductility and energy absorption of RC shear walls with opening containing zeolite and silica fume

This article originates from an experimental program and nonlinear finite element analysis aimed at examining how pozzolanic concrete influences the behavior of RC shear walls with openings. To achieve this, stress-strain diagrams, and the elastic modulus of 33 cylindrical concrete specimens, each containing varying percentages of silica fume and zeolite (ranging from 0% to 25%), were evaluated. The impact of silica fume and zeolite pozzolans on the ductility and load-bearing capacity of RC shear walls with openings was explored. This was done by analyzing the mechanical properties of the specimens and integrating them into the analytical model. Subsequently, a shear wall with conventional concrete was simulated using the finite element method (FEM). The study delved into the effects of substituting the initial concrete with pozzolanic concrete within the shear wall. Additionally, it investigated the simultaneous reduction in the diameter of the reinforcing bars employed, all in the pursuit of attaining the optimal design for these walls. The findings demonstrated that employing pozzolanic concrete in shear walls, coupled with a balanced configuration of rebar, led to heightened ductility, improved energy absorption, and an enhanced load-bearing capacity for the walls.

Experimental and numerical study on the seismic behavior of groove grouting precast concrete shear walls with different joint types

A groove grouting precast concrete shear wall (GGPCSW) subjected to seismic performance tests was explored in this research. Four full-scale specimens were designed for use in quasi-static experiments. These specimens included three GGPCSWs with different joint types (i.e., a horizontal joint, a vertical joint, and a combination of horizontal and vertical joints) and one reference cast-in-place reinforced concrete shear wall (CIPRCSW). The failure modes, failure process, hysteresis curves, bearing capacity, stiffness degradation, and ductility of the GGPCSWs were clarified. The experimental results revealed that all shear wall specimens failed in the flexural-shear failure mode. The crack distribution, load capacity, energy consumption, and stiffness degradation of the GGPCSW with a horizontal joint were found to be basically the same as those of the CIPRCSW before the displacement angle reached 1/100. The positive load capacity of the GGPCSW with a vertical joint was 22.5% greater than that of the CIPRCSW under the same conditions. It is noteworthy that the peak load of the GGPCSW with a combination of horizontal and vertical joints was basically the same as that of the GGPCSW with a vertical joint, while the ultimate displacement was 14% less than that of the GGPCSW with a horizontal joint. Furthermore, the GGPCSWs demonstrated a comparable level of ductility to the CIPRCSW, meeting the necessary deformability criteria. Finally, a series of numerical analyses were completed to investigate the skeleton curves, the distribution of the concrete damage, and the stress distribution of the steel bars. The findings were basically consistent with the test results, and further parametric investigations of GGPCSWs were performed.

Cyclic behavior of sandwich steel plate shear wall with embedded corrugated plate

The sandwich structure has superior properties. To explore the application of sandwich structures in steel plate shear walls, this study presents a sandwich steel plate shear wall with embedded corrugated plate (ECSSW). The proposed wall is composed of two flat plates and a corrugated plate embedded between them. The flat and corrugated plates are joined by connectors. To study the cyclic behavior of the ECSSW, a quasi-static test and a numerical simulation of two specimens were conducted. In addition, a parametric assessment was conducted on the ECSSW with different connector horizontal spacings and strengths. The results showed that the ECSSW provides satisfactory seismic performance, does not produce significant noise, and can effectively delay the occurrence and development of infill plate buckling. With a small-wavelength embedded corrugated plate, the ECSSW can increase the yield load and yield displacement. The ECSSW with a large-wavelength embedded corrugated plate can reduce stiffness degradation and increase ductility and energy dissipation. When the strength of the connector is low, its horizontal spacing has minimal effect on the cyclic behavior of the ECSSW. The strength of the connector significantly affects the out-of-plane deformation of the ECSSW.

Seismic behavior of non-seismically designed shear walls with moderate shear span under high axial loads

This study investigates the seismic behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) non-seismically designed shear walls with moderate shear span-to-length ratios (SLR), while being subjected to high axial loads. Four shear wall specimens were fabricated and tested, including three specimens with an SLR of 1.58 and one with an SLR of 2.0. The applied axial load ratios (ALR) ranged from 0.30 to 0.35. Detailed test results, such as crack patterns, failure modes, hysteresis curves, stiffness degradation, and energy dissipation, are presented and analyzed. The test results show that all specimens, with different shear-to-flexure strength ratios (SFSR), experienced axial failure and were unable to sustain the target axial load at the end of the test. Among these specimens, three with SFSR values ranging from 0.82 to 1.24 failed in axial failure, while the specimen with an SFSR of 0.44 initially experienced shear failure, followed by axial failure after completing half a cycle. This indicates that SFSR has a significant effect on the failure mode of the shear walls under high ALR. Additionally, the test results obtained in this study are compared with the results of a previous study, in which test specimens had identical reinforcement detailing as in this study but were subjected to lower axial loads (ALR = 0.15–0.20), to investigate the effect of ALR on seismic behavior of shear walls in terms of failure mode, hysteretic curves. The observations show that for specimens with relatively higher SFSR (≥ 0.8), a high level of ALR not only affects the failure mode but also diminishes their deformability. In contrast, for the specimen with a low SFSR (0.44), the effect of ALR on deformability is minimal. Finally, a criterion for determining the occurrence of axial failure in shear walls is proposed.

Study on the post-fire axial compressive performance of the lightweight ceramsite foamed concrete sandwich composite shear wall

This study is carried out to develop a new lightweight ceramsite foamed concrete sandwich composite shear wall, which is a new and affordable building system. The shear wall consists of two ordinary concrete wythes and a ceramsite foamed concrete intermediate sandwich layer between the wythes. Experimental investigation on five shear wall specimens is conducted by varying the parameters such as thickness of the ordinary concrete wythes and the insulation layer, reinforcement pattern and constrained component. Besides, by conducting fire test and axial compressive load test, the results are obtained, including the apparent phenomenon after fire, crack pattern and failure modes, load capacity, load-out of plane curve, strain distribution of the composite sandwich shear wall. The results show that sandwich ceramsite foamed concrete has good thermal insulation performance, and the compositeness of wythes and sandwich layer has reached in a certain degree. However, the compositeness of specimen using truss bars is weaken in the late loading stage and truss bars are advised to be used with the horizontal tie bars in practical engineering application. Compared with other specimens, the experiment ultimate strength has been increased by approximately 75 % by arranging the constrained component on the wall. Finite Element (FE) analysis is also conducted by ABAQUS and the results shows good agreement with experiment results, indicating that the FE model can be used to predict the behavior of the sandwich composite shear wall. Based on the existing methods, a modified method to calculate ultimate compressive bearing capacity after fire is proposed, with the maximum calculation error of 19 %, which shows that all methods can be applied to the practical engineering design.

Seismic behavior of a novel slotted steel plate shear wall under monotonic, cyclic, and time history analysis

Steel plate shear walls (SPSWs) are lateral load-resistant systems used as energy dissipation members in new or existing structures due to their stable hysteretic behavior. However, structures equipped with conventional SPSWs may have a higher initial stiffness, which causes them to be subjected to too much force during moderate earthquakes. In the present study, a novel slotted SPSW is developed to minimize the lateral forces of traditional SPSWs. The slotted SPSW consists of horizontal boundary elements (HBEs), vertical boundary elements (VBEs), and two layers of incline-slotted infill plates (ISIPs) connected by high-strength steel bolts. The proposed system's seismic behavior and damaged mode were compared with those of conventional SPSW using monotonic and cyclic analysis. The research results show that the slotted SPSW exhibits stable hysteretic behavior with a significant energy dissipation capacity. Furthermore, the slotted SPSW was applied to a three-story frame structure. Nonlinear time history analysis was conducted under far-field and near-field ground motion records to determine how a slotted SPSW system affects structure response. According to numerical results, the base force of the structure equipped with a slotted SPSW system was minimized to 37.0% and 49.6% under near-field and far-field earthquakes, respectively.

Seismic performance and deformation mechanism of precast single-face superposed shear wall

The application of single-face superposed (SFS) shear walls in high-rise residential buildings within seismic zones has attracted extensive attention in past years, but the seismic performance of SFS shear walls hasn't been well understood yet. This study presents the results of quasi-static cyclic tests on four precast SFS shear walls using different horizontal joints and one cast-in-place (CIP) shear wall. The main objective is to achieve a thorough knowledge of the deformation behavior and deformation mechanism of SFS shear walls by analyzing the experimental results describing the global and local deformation behaviors. In general, SFS shear walls behaved equivalently to or even slightly better than the CIP shear wall in terms of bearing capacities, ductility properties, stiffness degradations, and energy dissipation properties. However, unlike the flexure-shear-dominated deformation mode of the CIP shear wall, SFS shear walls were primarily dominated by rigid body rotation behavior and secondarily by flexural-shear deformation. Based on the experimental results, the significant influence of the strain development of vertical rebars, opening, and slip at the horizontal joint on the deformation behavior of SFS shear walls was discussed. It was found that the continuously increasing opening, the sequential yielding of vertical rebars, and the slip at the horizontal joint together led to the difference in deformation behavior between SFS shear walls and the CIP shear wall. Therefore, future work will investigate whether SFS shear walls could emulate well CIP shear walls if the severe deformation at the horizontal joint is greatly reduced.

Cyclic Behavior of New Steel Plate Shear Walls Reinforced with Trapezoidal Corrugated Plates

Unstiffened steel plate shear walls have low buckling strength, which caused development diagonal tension field under lateral load. Corrugated plates have higher out-of-plane stiffness and improved buckling stability. Combining corrugated and flat plates in steel shear wall web could be effective. In this paper a new steel shear wall system reinforced with trapezoidal corrugated steel plates were proposed. In this study, the behavior of the system was experimentally studied under cyclic loading. Four specimens with the one-third scale were evaluated, which were control unstiffened specimen, the specimen with vertical 45° trapezoidal corrugated web, specimen with a corrugated web plate reinforced with two flat plates, and specimen with a flat web plate reinforced with two corrugated plates. In all four specimens, the total thicknesses of steel plates were the same; therefore, the thickness of each plate in specimens with three plates was one-third of the specimen with one plate. The studied parameters were the bearing capacity, maximum base shear, stiffness, ductility, energy absorption, and modification factor for the dissipation capacity of the specimens. The results revealed the maximum lateral load capacity of specimen with a flat web plate reinforced with two corrugated plates increased about 17%, 37%, and 19%, comparly to unstiffened specimens, vertical 45° trapezoidal corrugated web, and corrugated web plate reinforced with two flat plates, respectively. According to the results, the behavior of the seismic parameters of the proposed specimen with a flat web plate reinforced with two corrugated plates was clearly better than that of the other specimens.

Seismic performance of precast lightweight aggregate concrete shear walls with supplementary V-ties

This study examined the flexural behavior of a precast lightweight aggregate concrete shear wall (PLCSW). To minimize crosstie arrangement congestion in the boundary elements and improve ductility, the conventional reinforcing crosstie was replaced with the supplementary V-tie developed by Yang et al. Additionally, a bolting technique, which combines steel plates, bolts, and nuts, was applied to the PLCSW wall-to-base connection. The behavior of these specimens was compared with the flexural behavior of conventional precast concrete shear walls (PCSW) connected via the spliced sleeve technique. Eight PCSW specimens with different crossties (supplementary V-ties or conventional reinforcing crossties) were prepared and wall-to-base connection techniques (bolting or spliced sleeve connections) applied. All specimens were tested under constant axial load and cyclic lateral loads. The ductility performance of PCSW was verified through a comparative analysis of the displacement ductility ratio and work damage index between the PCSW with supplementary V-ties and those with conventional reinforcing crossties. The ductility performance of PCSW utilizing supplementary V-ties and the bolting technique exhibited superior ductile performance resulting in a high work damage index, which was 1.22 times higher than that of the PCSW with conventional reinforcing crossties. Meanwhile, even though the shear wall specimens connected via the spliced sleeve technique were produced with normal-weight aggregate concrete, their work damage indices were slightly lower than those of the specimens utilizing conventional reinforcing crossties and the bolting technique. Consequently, the PCSWs with the spliced sleeve did not satisfy the seismic connection performance requirements specified in NEHRP, whereas the precast sand-lightweight aggregate concrete shear walls with supplementary V-ties utilizing the bolting technique satisfied the requirements. Therefore, the ductility and seismic connection performances of PCSWs with a complex detail arrangement of the boundary element can be effectively improved by using a supplementary V-tie and applying bolting techniques.

Experimental investigation on the seismic behavior of composite steel plate shear wall restrained by ECC panels

The composite structures using engineered cementitious composites (ECC) and steel are promising to achieve good seismic performance due to their excellent deformability and energy dissipation. This paper proposed a novel composite steel plate shear wall restrained by ECC panels. The shear wall system consists of boundary frame, steel plate and precast ECC panels. The steel plate is sandwiched between two precast ECC panels by bolts. Then, the sandwich panel is bolted to the boundary frame by angle steels. Experimental investigation was conducted on the proposed composite shear walls to evaluate their seismic performance. Five one-story one-span specimens with ECC panels considering the effects of panel-frame connection types, reinforcement ratio in ECC panels and aspect ratio were tested, as well as a control specimen with concrete panels. Test results revealed that compared with ordinary buckling-restrained steel plate shear wall, the proposed composite shear walls displayed sufficient ductility, high initial stiffness and satisfactory energy dissipated capacity. Severe cracking and spalling of concrete panels were detected, while the ECC panels still maintained integrity and had high residual strength in the later stage of loading. ECC panels made a considerable contribution to shear resistance in addition to effectively restraining the buckling of the steel plate. In comparison with the specimen using partial four-side connection, the shear capacity, initial lateral stiffness and accumulated dissipated energy of the specimen using four-side connection were notably enhanced by 103%, 22.8% and 108%, respectively. Moreover, using two-side connection weakened the shear capacity and initial lateral stiffness of the specimen by 29.4% and 29.8%, because it could not exhibit complete shear and tension field actions as the specimen using four-side connection.

Seismic behavior of self-restrained grid shear wall with diagonal CFRP-steel composite strips

This paper introduces an innovative structure for a self-restrained grid shear wall with diagonal CFRP-steel composite strips. Steel and CFRP strips are interwoven to enhance the structural integrity of the shear wall. Quasi-static tests are initially conducted on two shear wall specimens with and without diagonal CFRP-steel composite strips. Subsequently, a finite element model is established to represent the self-restrained grid shear wall with diagonal CFRP-steel composite strips. This model is helpful for exploring the influence of composite strips arrangement on the performance of shear walls. Furthermore, a prediction formula is developed to estimate the load-bearing capacity of the CFRP-steel composite strips grid shear wall. The test results show that the yield bearing capacity, ultimate bearing capacity, stiffness and energy dissipation capacity of the specimens increase by 46.6%, 58.2%, 43.6%, and 16.3% respectively after the replacement of composite strips. In addition, the results of finite element simulation indicate that the diagonal arrangement exhibits the highest efficiency in the use of CFRP materials among three reinforced structural forms-diagonal, spaced, and fully arranged composite strips. This arrangement is also the most economical and has the least adverse influence on the internal forces of the frame columns.

Numerical assessment of In-plane behavior of multi-panel CLT shear walls for modular structures

Ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) harvested from restoration forests in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States is being considered for use in cross laminated timber (CLT). A prototype modular building was designed and constructed to assess the feasibility of using such CLT panels in emergency housing that can be rapidly assembled, disassembled, and reused. The modular building uses narrow-width CLT panels connected with intra-modular connections (butt joints with inclined screws) that develop the wall modules, which are connected to each other at the corners with point-type inter-modular connections. To accurately predict the behavior of this modular structure under seismic loading, it is necessary to be able to simulate the connections and wall modules under lateral loading. These selected intra- and inter-modular connections in PP CLT have been mechanically characterized in previous experiments. This paper presents the methodology and results from benchmarking the selected in-plane CLT connections against the experimental data in OpenSees. Further, the impacts of the selected connections on the in-plane monotonic and cyclic behavior of multi-panel CLT shear wall modules are also presented. The results show that the Pinching4 material model in OpenSees, when benchmarked using the simulated annealing algorithm, was able to successfully simulate the selected connections. Simulations of multi-panel wall modules indicate that modules with closely spaced screws in the butt joint behave as a single wall panel, while those with widely spaced screws behave as coupled walls. Recommendations on the spacing of intra-modular connections and the applicability of the modular system using the selected connections are provided based on the finite element analysis.

Optimized Computational Intelligence Model for Estimating the Flexural Behavior of Composite Shear Walls

This article presents a novel approach to estimate the flexural capacity of reinforced concrete-filled composite plate shear walls using an optimized computational intelligence model. The proposed model was developed and validated based on 47 laboratory data points and the Transit Search (TS) optimization algorithm. Using 80% of the experimental dataset, the optimized model was selected by determining the unknown coefficients of the network-based computational structure. The remaining 20% of the data was used to evaluate the accuracy of the model, and the best-performing structure was selected. Furthermore, the final neural network details were subjected to statistical analysis to extract a user-friendly formula, making it easier to apply in practice. The proposed ANN model and the proposed user-friendly formula were then compared with the AISC 341-16 and experimental results and demonstrated their efficacy in predicting the flexural behavior of composite shear walls. Overall, the proposed approach provides a more reliable and efficient framework for estimating the flexural behavior of composite shear walls.

Self-centric cyclic resistance of reinforced concrete shear wall with Shape Memory Alloy: Numerical and experimental large-scale model

Over several decades, numerous researches have been routed to forge ahead in enhancing the building performance against dynamic loads. Nowadays, smart materials such as Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) have found profound impact in many applications of civil engineering. Nickel titanium alloy (NiTi) is one of the most famous among types of SMA. The current paper studies the behavior of shear wall, representing one of the most efficient lateral bracing element, structured by NiTi subjected to cyclic loading. Due to the unique characteristics of NiTi particularly in capacity to restore its original shape after unloading, the improvement in shear wall displacement recovery, wall ductility, hysteric behavior and inter-story drift ratio is presented. For this purpose, experiment study on large scale shear walls with aspect ratio 1.9 is conducted to investigate the effect of the intensity of NiTi on cyclic response. Two ordinary walls, as reference structures, and two hybrid walls are set up in order to perform the study. In addition, the validation of numerical simulation is examined by comparing its results with that obtained by the experiments and a pretty much in agreement is found. Hence, three-dimensional modeling by mean of ANSYS19 is extended to study the effect of NiTi length throughout the wall height on the shear wall response. The results showed that the existing of NiTi controls the cracks propagation and confines the majority in the lower third of the wall. Furthermore, for NiTi-wall, the study showed remarkable enhancement in recover capacity by 77 % and significantly increase in drift capacity ratio by 16.5 % relies on the NiTi ratio. Besides, some significant observations like the profile of wall curvature and energy dissipation are analyzed in this paper.

Seismic behavior of shear walls partially strengthened with UHPC in boundary element

Inspired by studies on shear walls reinforced with high performance cement-based materials, this paper explores the applicability of ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) for improving the seismic behavior of shear walls. In this study, a novel shear wall partially strengthened with UHPC in the boundary element was developed, in which the UHPC was cast into the potential plastic hinge region of the boundary element. Partial application of UHPC can reduce construction costs and promote its use in building structures. To study the influence of distribution height and width of UHPC and axial load ratio on the seismic performance, six shear walls with a shear span ratio of 2.1 were tested under axial load and cyclic lateral load. The failure modes, lateral load-lateral displacement hysteretic behavior and ductility of the shear walls were also investigated. The experimental results indicated that the partial application of UHPC in boundary elements could effectively improve the performance of shear walls. Moreover, even if the volume ratio of UHPC was only 0.12, the shear wall partially strengthened with UHPC still showed good seismic performance under a high axial load ratio, indicating that this type of shear wall can be applied to the high seismic intensity and high axial load ratio regions.