Structural Steel Boundary Elements for Ductile Concrete Walls

Abstract

A possible new form of construction employing structural steel as the boundary elements in ductile concrete walls to alleviate congestion of reinforcement in these regions is investigated. The results of reversed cyclic-loading tests on three structural walls, containing hollow structural sections, structural steel channels and conventional concentrated reinforcement as boundary elements, were compared. With proper design and detailing, the walls with structural steel boundary elements performed as well as the companion wall containing vertical bars and closely spaced hoops.