Behavior of Nonconforming Flexure-Controlled RC Structural Walls Under Reversed Cyclic Lateral Loading
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Reinforced concrete (RC) structural walls are essential for ensuring adequate lateral stiffness and strength in buildings located in seismic regions. However, many older structures incorporate nonconforming walls constructed with low-strength concrete, plain longitudinal reinforcement, and insufficient boundary confinement, and experimental data on such systems remain limited. This study investigates the seismic performance of two full-scale, relatively slender nonconforming RC wall specimens representative of older construction: one with no boundary confinement (SW-NC-FF) and one with insufficient confinement (SW-IC-FF). Both specimens exhibited flexure-controlled behavior, with initial yielding of boundary longitudinal bars occurring at an approximately 0.30% drift ratio and maximum reinforcement tensile strains of 0.006 (SW-IC-FF) and 0.015 (SW-NC-FF). Rocking governed the lateral response due to progressive debonding of the plain bars along the wall height, producing pronounced pinching and self-centering behavior. Failure occurred through longitudinal bar buckling and concrete crushing, with ultimate drift ratios of 2.0% and 1.5% and displacement ductility values of 4.0 and 4.3 for SW-IC-FF and SW-NC-FF, respectively. Experimental results were compared with backbone predictions from ASCE 41:2023, NZ C5:2025, and EN 1998-3:2025. While all three guidelines captured initial stiffness and yield rotations, their rotation-capacity predictions diverged, underscoring the need for improved assessment approaches for rocking-dominated, plain-reinforced walls.
Source: Buildings
Authors: Yusuf Şahinkaya, Ergün Binbir, Kutay Orakçal, Alper İlki
Language: English
Subfield: Civil and Structural Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,137
OpenAlex ID: W7114908207