Reinforced Concrete Shear Walls Detailed with Innovative Materials: Seismic Performance

Abstract

This paper presents the experimental results of a pilot study performed on the seismic performance of three types of damage-resistant, slender reinforced concrete (RC) shear walls. The study explores three innovative schemes for the mitigation of postearthquake damage, including permanent lateral deformation and concrete damage, in RC shear walls. Each innovative shear wall had an aspect ratio of 2. and was reinforced with a hybrid reinforcing system consisting of mild steel and a type of self-centering reinforcement such as shape memory alloy bars, glass fiber reinforced polymer bars, or high-strength steel strands. To mitigate concrete damage, the walls were detailed with fiber reinforced cementitious composites, either engineered cementitious composite or steel fiber reinforced concrete. The specimens were supported as cantilevers, and then were tested up to failure under pseudo-static, cyclic loads. As test results showed, the innovative shear walls had smaller residual drift ratios and mitigated damage with respect to a conventional RC shear wall. The innovative walls also showed significant levels of energy dissipation and ductility throughout testing.