Lateral Seismic Performance of Multipanel Precast Hollowcore Walls

Abstract

The seismic resistance of full-scale superassemblage of precast hollow core wall units is investigated. The superassemblage consists of six prestressed concrete 1.2 m wide hollow core units. Two load-bearing of the units are tied to the foundation via unbonded vertical tendons while the other four units primarily act as “nonstructural” cladding. The longitudinal unbonded prestressing tendons consist of regular thread-bars with an in-series portion of those bars possessing a reduced diameter to act as “fuses.” The multipanel wall system is tested under several different conditions: in-plane quasi-static reverse cyclic loading with different sizes of fuse bars and with and without rubber block spacers and sealant between units. No structural damage occurs up to the experimental ±4% drift limit and only minor nonstructural distress is observed at 3% drift. The overall good performance of the multipanel wall system well satisfies the requirements of an emerging seismic damage avoidance design philosophy.