Coupled Wall System Research Articles

Seismic behavior of hybrid coupled wall system with replaceable endplate-steel coupling beam

The hybrid coupled wall (HCW) with steel coupling beam (CB) has been widely used in high-rise buildings due to its good ductility and energy dissipation capacity. The HCW with replaceable CB is an optimal component to recover buildings promptly after a severe earthquake. However, the seismic behavior of the HCW with replaceable CB and the reasonable reinforcement ratio in connections to satisfy the design concept of replaceable structure have not been investigated. In this study, a novel HCW subassembly with replaceable endplate-steel CB having different reinforcement ratios in the connections was proposed and tested under cyclic loading. Then, an identical CB was reinstalled and the replaced HCW system was also tested. The results showed that increasing the horizontal or vertical reinforcement ratio in connections significantly enhanced the seismic behavior of HCWs, ensuring the CB to act as a fuse during the test. Increasing the vertical reinforcement ratio could effectively provide a constraint effect on anchor bars and ensure the wall pier to remain elastic, thus satisfying the replaceable requirements. Additionally, the replaced HCW showed similar seismic behavior to the virgin one. Lastly, relevant design methods and recommendations are proposed for the HCW with replaceable CB according to the test results.

Seismic displacements and behaviour factors assessment of an innovative steel and concrete hybrid coupled shear wall system

The objective of this research is to facilitate the design process of innovative steel and concrete hybrid coupled wall system, which is obtained through the connection of a reinforced concrete (RC) wall to two steel side columns by means of steel links. To this end, a group of 120 innovative hybrid coupled wall systems subjected to a set of 100 far-field ground motions are selected. Thousands of nonlinear dynamic time histories on the basis of incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) are carried out in order to generate a databank of specified response quantities. Subsequently, nonlinear regression analyses are conducted in order to derive simple formulae which offer a direct estimation of: fundamental periods of vibration, seismic displacements, ductility demands and behaviour factors q for both designed and undesigned structures at different limit states; involving steel first yielding of internal wall, various predefined maximum inter-storey drifts and links rotations values. The effect of the following parameters: number of storeys, coupling ratio value, steel area ratio of boundary elements, uniformity status of shear links, and length of links is thoroughly investigated. The results indicate that storeys number and uniformity status parameters have the largest influence on the most of response quantities. The current q behaviour factor value is approximately suitable for low-rise building, but it is highly underestimated in medium-rise buildings. Furthermore, the equal-displacement rule clearly overestimates the roof ductility. Overall, this study bridges the gaps about the innovative hybrid coupled wall system design methodology and enables a rapid seismic assessment of such structures.

Energy-balance based plastic design and analysis of hybrid coupled wall system

The hybrid coupled wall (HCW) system consists of steel coupling beams that connect adjacent reinforced concrete (RC) wall piers. In order to minimize or even eliminate the lengthy design iterations of conventional performance-based seismic design method and directly account for inelastic structural behavior, the modified energy-balance based plastic design (EBPD) method is proposed and developed for the seismic design of HCW systems with the consideration of influences of the degradation of hysteretic behavior and pinching effects. The design base shear can be obtained by solving the modified energy balance equation analytically. Twelve HCW prototype structures with different structural heights and coupling ratio (CR) were designed and evaluated by conducting a series of push-over analyses and nonlinear dynamic time-history analyses with the proved-reliable program of PERFORM-3D. The analysis results indicate that all HCW prototype structures exhibit the favorable yield mechanism and satisfactory seismic performance. Particularly, the influences of CR on the deformation characteristics, bending moment distribution among wall piers and vertical distribution of overturning moment are revealed. Suggestions are made in terms of the appropriate selection of CR for different structural heights.

Model validation and application of the coupled system of pipe-encapsulated PCM wall and nocturnal sky radiator

• A coupled system of the pipe-encapsulated PCM wall and nocturnal sky radiator is presented. • The thermal models for the coupled wall system are integrated. • The system experimental platform is setup and the model validation is presented. • Thermal and energy performances of the coupled system in the cooling season are analyzed. With the increasing of the global energy consumption and carbon emissions, the energy decarbonization and sustainable developments are of great urgency. To achieve the carbon peak and carbon neutral in energy utilization of the world, the efficient energy systems by using the natural energy are the popular and important methods. The coupled system of pipe-encapsulated PCM wall and nocturnal sky radiator is a new wall system for improving the performance of the building envelope. It can effectively reduce the building energy consumption with the PCM and the nocturnal natural cooling energy. In this study, the system thermal model coupled by the simplified PCM wall model, the heat-pipe model and the nocturnal radiation model is developed and validated by comparing the model prediction with the coincident experiment measurements. The average temperature difference of the conventional wall internal surface and the wall surface by using the pipe-encapsulated PCM wall is 0.4 °C. The average heat flux difference of the wall internal surface is 2.3 W/m 2 . In addition, the thermal and energy performances of a typical room with the coupled wall system in the cooling season are evaluated. Comparing to the conventional wall system, the internal surface average temperature of the coupled wall system can reduce 0.7 °C. The internal surface heat flow can reduce 53.0% in the cooling season. The required cooling energy consumption of the room in the cooling season can reduce 16.1%. The coupled wall system of pipe-encapsulated PCM wall and nocturnal sky radiator has good application prospects in low energy buildings.

Tuned viscous mass damper (TVMD) coupled wall system for enhancing seismic performance of high-rise buildings

This paper proposes an innovative coupled wall system, named the tuned viscous mass damper (TVMD) coupled wall system, for use in high-rise buildings. This novel wall system is expected to control both the lateral inter-story drifts and the floor accelerations of high-rise buildings when subjected to strong ground motions, thus enhancing their seismic resilience. The TVMD consists of a component that provides stiffness connected in series with a ball screw device that can provide large inertial and damping forces, even when subjected to small deformations. In this system, TVMDs are arranged to connect adjacent wall piers in a zig-zag configuration. Such a strategic TVMD arrangement makes efficient use of the vertical relative displacements of the adjacent walls induced by their flexural deformation to generate the motions and forces of the TVMDs. Two methods are presented for the optimal design of this system, namely, a single-mode tuning method and a multi-mode tuning method. Dynamic response analysis is conducted on a representative 15-story TVMD coupled wall system. The results of the analysis indicate that the TVMDs designed by the single-mode tuning method not only suppress the dynamic responses of the tuning mode, but also provide additional damping for the lower-order modes of the primary structure. The multi-mode tuning method shows similar performance to the single-mode tuning method if the latter is used to tune the higher-order mode. Finally, real-time hybrid simulations were conducted to examine the seismic performance of the proposed system. The test results demonstrate the advantages of the TVMD coupled wall system and indicate that the detuning effect is slight for this system, even when subjected to strong ground motions.

Development and modelling of new friction damped self-centring link for coupled wall systems

Coupling two or more shear walls can improve the hysteretic responses compared to the individual walls. This study developed a new friction damped self-centring (FDSC) link for coupled walls by conducting analytical and numerical investigations. The mechanics of this coupled system are explained and the equations governing its global behaviour are provided. A three-dimensional finite element model including the relative motions at the wall-to-wall interface was developed to examine the cyclic response of the FDSC link. Using this computational model, a parametric study was conducted to explore the contributions of four key design variables of the FDSC link. The results showed that the load–displacement relation of the FDSC link is mainly dependent on the behaviour of the post-tensioning tendons and the frictional mechanism. The proposed connection not only has a full re-centring capacity and good energy dissipation within the self-centring limit but also accommodates the gap opening without causing wall expansion.

Experimental study of the coupled wall system of pipe-encapsulated PCM wall and nocturnal sky radiator for self-activated heat removal

The coupled pipe-encapsulated PCM wall system with a nocturnal sky radiator is a novel type of building envelope structure for low energy buildings. It absorbs outdoor heat and stored it by using the pipe-encapsulated PCM inside the wall in the daytime, and the stored heat is automatically discharged into space through the sky radiator by the effect of the gravity heat pipe at nighttime. It makes full use of the natural cooling source, which can effectively reduce indoor heat gain through the envelope and improve the utilization efficiency of PCM. In this paper, an experiment platform integrating the pipe-encapsulated PCM wall module, the nocturnal radiator module, the heat pipe circulation module and measurement system together is established. The heat transfer characteristics of the wall system in four cases under the dynamic boundaries are tested, and the performances are contrastively discussed. Comparing to the wall without nocturnal radiation, the coupled wall system can well reduce the indoor cooling load and the wall internal surface temperature. The wall internal surface average heat flux can reduce 10.2 W/m2, and the cumulative indoor heat gains can reduce 29.7%. The results show the good thermal performance and energy-saving potential of this coupled pipe-encapsulated PCM wall system with a nocturnal sky radiator. With the development of new materials for enhancing the capability of radiative cooling such as the glass-polymer hybrid metamaterial, the performance of the coupled wall system may be significantly improved when these materials are used in the sky radiators.

Damped Timber Shear Wall: Shake-Table Tests and Analytical Models

Light-timber frames, using plywood (PW), exhibit a pinched hysteresis response, and their energy absorption capacity is limited. The energy-dissipation capacity can be enhanced using energy-dissipation mechanisms. In this paper, two wood-friction-based connectors, with wood-plywood-wood (WPW) and wood-steel-wood (WSW), are utilized. Reverse-cyclic static load tests have shown that the WPW and WSW wall systems have nondegrading and stable hysteretic curves. In this paper, through shake-table tests, performance of WPW, WSW, PW, and WSW-PW coupled wall systems are investigated. As expected, the shake-table results indeed showed nondegrading hysteretic curve responses of WPW and WSW wall systems. Furthermore, a phenomenological model, where nonlinear behavior of the shear wall is reduced to a single spring element, is proposed for the wall systems. The nondegrading wall system (WPW, WSW) is modeled using the Bouc-Wen hysteretic model and the PW is modeled using the Pinching4 hysteretic model. Overall, there is good agreement between the test and analytical models. Results of the experimental test indeed show the utility of the new wall systems.

Development of novel self-centering steel coupling beams without beam elongation for earthquake resilience

Reinforced concrete (RC) coupled walls are extensively used as the seismic-resistant structural system of tall buildings in high seismic zones. In RC coupled wall systems, the coupling beams are typically designed and detailed to dissipate energy through large inelastic responses to meet the expected seismic performance under moderate-to-strong earthquakes. However, costly excessive repair or even complete demolition caused by the considerable damage in conventional RC coupling beams is usually inevitable. Such disadvantage of RC coupling beams has increased the interest on replaceable steel coupling beams, which can isolate the damage concentrated in the fuses; thus, these beams are expected to be replaced after a strong earthquake. However, replacing these beams in practice is difficult if considerable residual deformation exists in these replaceable fuses. Therefore, seismic resilience cannot be explicitly guaranteed. For this reason, this study proposes a novel self-centering (SC) steel coupling beam that incorporates superelastic shape memory alloy (SMA) bolts and steel angles. The SC steel coupling beam is composed of two elastic beam segments and one rocking segment. Elastic beam segments are designed by steel beams that connect to the RC walls at both ends of the coupling beam, whereas the rocking segment located in the middle of the coupling beam is controlled by the SMA bolts and steel angles. Two ingenious shear keys are designed between the elastic beam segments and the rocking segment; these shear keys help the SC coupling beam to exhibit centerline-rocking behavior that is free from beam elongation. The working principle of the novel SC steel coupling beam is described first. Then, the cyclic responses of the SMA bolt and the steel angle, which are the two core components in the SC steel coupling beam, are investigated. The seismic performance of the SC steel coupling beam is computationally investigated in consideration of the effects of steel angles and the prestrain in the SMA bolts. Results show that the proposed SC steel coupling beams exhibit excellent SC capability and energy dissipation. Most damage is isolated in the steel angles, which can be easily and rapidly inspected or replaced after earthquakes without operation interruption. Importantly, beam elongation is almost eliminated under cyclic loading. With these advantages, the SC steel coupling beam can provide a promising solution for high-performance coupled wall systems.

Impact of bi-directional loading on the seismic performance of C-shaped piers of core walls

Reinforced concrete structural walls are commonly used as the primary lateral load resisting system in modern buildings constructed in high seismic regions. Most walls in high-rise buildings are C-shaped to accommodate elevators or other architectural features. C-shaped walls have complex loading and response including: (1) symmetric response in the direction of the web, (2) asymmetric response in the direction of the flange and (3) high compression and shear demands when used as a pier in a coupled-wall configuration. A research study was conducted on C-shaped walls tested under (1) uni-directional and (2) bi-directional loading of an isolated walls and (3) bi-directional loading of a c-shaped pier in a coupled wall system. Each of the walls failed in flexure with strength loss resulting from low-cycle fatigue of the boundary element longitudinal reinforcement with buckling followed by fracture. The damage progression was as follows: (1) cracking at the wall-foundation interface, (2) concrete spalling in the web, (3) buckling and fracture of web reinforcement, (4) spalling in the flanges, (5) buckling and fracture of the bars in the boundary elements. Concrete spalling and steel bar damage occurred at lower strong-axis drift levels for the bi-directionally loaded, resulting in lower drift capacities for these loading protocols. However, for the strong-axis direction, bi-directional loading does not reduce flexural or shear effective stiffness values suggesting that current values are appropriate for design and evaluation of buildings with c-shaped walls.

Seismic response of a tuned viscous mass damper (TVMD) coupled wall system

The authors propose a new tuned viscous mass damper (TVMD) coupled wall system for use in high-rise buildings. In this novel structural system, the TVMDs are arranged in a zig-zag configuration to couple wall piers in order to control both lateral inter-story drifts and floor accelerations. This novel structural system is used in this study to investigate the seismic performance of a 15-story prototype building. A nonlinear finite element model of the TVMD coupled wall (TCW system) is developed via the opensource finite element analysis software OpenSees. The TVMD is modeled by means of a newly compiled element named InertiaTruss, and the behavior of the coupled wall is simulated using a well-established multi-layer shell element approach. The seismic behavior of this novel TCW system is compared with walls coupled with conventional reinforced concrete beams (RCW system) and with viscous dampers (VCW system). The results indicate that, with a proper tuning design, seismic response parameters such as inter-story drift and floor acceleration are reduced by up to 16% and 28%, respectively, in the TCW system compared to the RCW system. The TCW system also shows better control of floor acceleration than the VCW system, though drifts are comparable. The force demands in the TVMD-to-wall joints are small due to the benefit of the TVMD zig-zag configuration. The analysis results also indicate that the effect of detuning in this new system is insignificant even when subjected to severe motions.

Experimental evaluation of self-centering hybrid coupled wall subassemblies with friction dampers

Post-tensioned hybrid coupled wall system has desirable seismic characteristics including self-centering capability and tolerance for large nonlinear displacements with limited damage. In this study, the behavior of concrete coupled wall subassemblies with post-tensioned steel coupling beam was experimentally evaluated. In this system, the coupling beam is not embedded into the walls, and the coupling of the concrete walls is accomplished by post-tensioning the steel coupling beam to the walls using unbonded post-tensioning strands. Steel angles and friction dampers were used at the beam-to-wall connection region for energy dissipation. In the first series of tests, a friction damper with different values of the clamping force was tested under two different loading frequencies. In the second series, seven quasi-static cyclic tests were conducted on 2/3-scale subassemblies of the post-tensioned hybrid coupled wall system. The test specimens included a control specimen without energy dissipation device, a specimen with steel angles and four specimens with friction dampers. In addition, one of the tested specimens with dampers was re-tested to investigate the structural behavior and residual capacity of the system during a strong aftershock. The test parameters included the type of energy dissipation device, the initial stress of post-tensioning strands and the amount of damper normal force. The test results show that the subassemblies equipped with friction dampers exhibit excellent lateral stiffness, strength, ductility and energy dissipation and are capable of withstanding large nonlinear cyclic deformations up to the drift of 8%, without residual displacements and without significant damage to the system. Whereas the subassembly equipped with steel angles provide lower energy dissipation capacity and because of the low-cycle fatigue fracture of angles, energy dissipation and load carrying capacities of the specimen decrease significantly.

A hybrid coupled wall system with replaceable steel coupling beams for high-rise modular buildings

Modular construction has been widely adopted for low-to-medium-rise buildings. However, there are concerns about the wind and seismic resisting performance of high-rise buildings if adopting the modular approach, which inhibit the wider adoption of modular construction in most cities where high-rises dominate. This paper aims to develop a novel hybrid coupled wall system for high-rise modular buildings, which uses replaceable steel coupling beams and precast concrete walls within modules to replace in-situ concrete or steel cores. The wall system is expected to improve not only the productivity of modular construction but wind and earthquake resilience of high-rise modular buildings. A nonlinear finite element (FE) model was developed for a 40-story residential building in Hong Kong using the hybrid coupled wall system. The seismic performance of the hybrid coupled wall system was assessed according to the results of nonlinear dynamic analysis and is compared with an alternative reinforced-concrete coupled wall system. Results show that the developed FE model is capable to predict the nonlinear structural performance of the hybrid and reinforced-concrete coupled wall systems. The two wall systems can provide sufficient seismic resistance for the 40-story building at four intensities of earthquake motions. They have similar seismic responses of wall piers but different seismic responses of coupling beams. The expected damage is very low for both wall piers and coupling beams of the two coupled wall systems even at very rare earthquake motions. The feasibility of the developed hybrid system was also examined in terms of wind load resistance. The results indicate that the system has sufficient capacity to resist the wind load in Hong Kong.

Seismic design and application of hybrid coupled walls with replaceable steel coupling beams in high‐rise buildings

SummaryAn innovative hybrid coupled wall system consists of reinforced concrete (RC) wall piers connected with replaceable steel coupling beams (RSCBs) throughout their height. The RSCBs are designed with a central “fuse” shear link connected to steel beam segments at both ends, which are capacity designed to remain elastic. During a damaging earthquake, the fuse shear links yield and dissipate seismic energy, and once damaged, they can be easily replaced due to specialized link‐to‐beam connection details. Therefore, this system is expected to provide enhanced seismic performance over a conventional RC coupled wall system, particularly in terms of repair costs and time after damaging earthquakes. This paper presents an overview of seismic design considerations of this new system, which is intended as a guide for design practitioners to adopt the system. Design procedure of this system is first summarized, followed by description of the coupling ratio selection, member sizing, connection detailing, and modeling recommendations of the system. Furthermore, an analytical case study for a high‐rise building is presented to highlight the benefit of using this system for enhancement to overall building performance. In the end, this paper presents a few real‐world applications of RSCBs in super‐tall buildings in China.

Seismic response assessment of a hybrid coupled wall structure with novel self-centering steel truss coupling beams

In this paper, a novel self-centering buckling-restrained energy dissipater (SC-BRED) with pretensioned basalt fiber-reinforced polymer composite tendons is firstly introduced. Furthermore, based on the SC-BREDs, a self-centering steel truss coupling beam (SCCB) is proposed to improve the seismic resilience of coupled wall structures. The SCCB consists of chord members at the top and bottom, respectively, and two SC-BREDs are employed in the diagonal direction. The chords are connected to the adjacent wall piers by hinge joint and all inelastic deformations are concentrated on the SC-BREDs, which can be easily installed and quickly repaired for post-earthquake. This paper mainly focused on the numerical and theoretical analyses of the SCCB, and nonlinear numerical models are developed in PERFORM-3D. An 11-story prototype structure was designed per Chinese code. The seismic behaviors of the hybrid coupled wall system with SCCBs (HCW-SC), the hybrid coupled wall system with steel truss coupling beams (without pretensioned tendons), and the reinforced concrete coupled wall system with RC coupling beams were evaluated and compared under maximum considered earthquake. Results showed that the HCW-SC can achieve excellent lateral strength, stiffness, and ductility as well as reduce the residual displacements of the structure after earthquake.

Seismic Response Analysis and Connection Performance Evaluation of a Hybrid Coupled PEC Wall System

This paper proposes a hybrid coupled partially encased composite (PEC) wall system, obtained through the connection of two PEC walls by means of the shear critical steel coupling beams with an innovative welded connection. This structural solution is designed to take advantage of both the stiffness of the PEC walls (required to limit building damage under frequent earthquakes) and the ductility of the steel coupling beams (necessary to dissipate energy under medium‐intensity and high‐intensity earthquakes). The connection performance of an innovative rigid joint with different configurations in this system is studied through pseudostatic analysis, and the seismic performance of the proposed hybrid coupled PEC wall system is evaluated through multirecord nonlinear dynamic analysis of a set of case studies. Adopted finite element models are developed and validated against the available experimental results. A summary of the results is presented and discussed to highlight the potential of the proposed hybrid coupled PEC wall systems. The key feature of this system is development of a reasonable two‐level yielding mechanism (the first level is the yielding of the coupling beams, and the second level is the yielding of the PEC wall) without damage to the welded joints.

Characterization and optimization of a steel beam to RC wall connection for use in innovative hybrid coupled wall systems

Steel-concrete hybrid solutions with replaceable fuses as coupling elements and appropriately detailed composite connections have shown their efficiency to design safe and easily repairable earthquake-resisting structures. In this general framework, the behavior of a possible steel to concrete composite connection to be used in a recently suggested Hybrid Coupled Wall (HCW) system, consisting of a reinforced concrete shear wall coupled with steel side columns via dissipative steel shear links, is studied in this paper. The steel shear links are bolted to a steel profile either partly embedded or passing through the RC wall. The connection zone is designed in such a way that the damage always occurs in the steel shear links (fuses) prior to any damage in the RC wall in general and in the connection zone in particular. The emphasis lies therefore on the characterization of a suitable “steel link + embedded composite connection within the RC wall” configuration and on the evaluation of an appropriate embedment length allowing the concentration of seismic damage to the replaceable steel links. To this purpose, two joint configurations are designed based on a capacity-based approach, namely “partly embedded” and “completely passing through” steel beam, and are examined through detailed FE analyses. A parametric study is carried out to provide sufficient insight into the system in terms of strength, stiffness and local bearing strength, in view of validating the proposed design procedure.

Cyclic loading test of steel coupling beams with mid-span friction dampers and RC slabs

In coupled wall systems, coupling beams distributed along the structural height are intended to yield and dissipate seismic energy under moderate and severe earthquakes. The use of specifically designed dampers in coupling beams can greatly enhance the seismic performance of a structure. In the present study, a friction damper incorporating brake pad-to-mild steel friction interfaces is proposed for installation in a steel coupling beam at the mid-span. Cyclic loading tests were conducted on the friction coupons and subassemblages of steel coupling beams with mid-span friction dampers. An RC slab, which rested on the top flange of the steel coupling beam without shear connectors, was included in one of the subassemblage specimens. The test results show that the friction dampers exhibited stable and full hysteretic responses with up to 8% chord rotation of the coupling beams. The friction coefficients were gradually increased and the clamping forces of the dampers relaxed during the cyclic loading. The average friction coefficient was close to the nominal value with a small deviation. However, the unintended out-of-plane bending of the steel teeth of the friction dampers reduced the effective normal force on the friction interfaces and, thus, led to a lower-than-expected shear strength of the damper. Though not composited with the steel coupling beam, the RC slab sustained severe flexural cracks as wide as 6 mm at 4% chord rotation of the coupling beam and, thus, might influence the postquake recovery of a building. A simple numerical model was established to investigate the respective contribution of each part of the coupling beam. The results show that the post-sliding stiffness introduced by the RC slab was less than 1% of the initial stiffness of the coupling beam and decreased rapidly with increasing deformation amplitudes. The shear force in the slab exceeded 10% of the strength of the friction damper at 4% chord rotation and is deemed to be a potential source of overstrength for the design of a coupling beam and the surrounding elements.

Seismic behavior and strength capacity of steel coupling beam-to-SRC wall joints

A hybrid coupled wall system, where steel coupling beams couple steel reinforced concrete (SRC) walls in series, has been recognized as an alternative to reinforced concrete (RC) coupled wall systems for enhanced seismic performance of high-rise buildings. A key issue of this system is seismic design of steel coupling beam-to-SRC wall joints. This paper presents a series of full-scale tests to investigate the cyclic behavior and strength capacity of the steel coupling beam-to-SRC wall joints, where a steel beam was rigidly connected to an encased steel column in wall boundary using a fully welded connection detail. The steel beam-to-SRC wall joints failed in panel shear mode, characterized by yielding of the steel web panel and joint transverse reinforcement, and crisscrossed-diagonal cracking and crushing of joint panel concrete. A design model for calculating the nominal strength of the steel beam-to-SRC wall joint is presented. The accuracy of the design model was verified against the collected test data and additional finite element (FE) analysis. The experimental tests and FE analysis also identified that severe vertical cracks might develop along the inner side of wall boundary element, due to horizontally tensile forces induced by the steel beam flange. Increased amount of horizontally distributed rebar is recommended to be assigned in around the join region, in order to control such unwanted damage. In addition, the test results of one specimen demonstrated that properly designed beam-to-wall joint remained slightly damaged when the steel coupling beam fully developed its plastic rotation.

Dynamic Elasto-Plastic Analysis of a Hybrid Coupled Wall System

In a hybrid coupled wall (HCW), a steel coupling beam with a good shear performance can replace a concrete coupling beam. This is especially applicable for locations in which height restrictions do not permit the use of deep reinforced concrete beams or in which it is not possible to economically develop required capacity, stiffness, or deformation demands with concrete beams. In this study, a new type of connection design with a steel boundary element of hybrid coupled wall (SBE-HCW) was proposed, and a 23-story SBE-HCW structure was analyzed under both gravity and seismic load to examine the seismic performance using ABAQUS. The structural failure process, base shear force, vertex displacement, and damage distribution of core tube were investigated. The analysis results confirmed that the response of specimen exhibited good plastic deformation behavior under seismic, thereby satisfying the demands of seismic ductility design. The connection between the steel coupling beams and the shear walls in the specimen appeared to be intact. The analysis evidence indicated that the proposed connection detailing appeared to be effective.