Experimental Response of Boundary Elements of Code-compliant Reinforced Concrete Shear Walls
Year: 2014
Type: article
Abstract: Reinforced concrete shear walls are widely used in earthquake-resistant building construction because, in addition to being economical, they are capable of providing required stiffness, strength, and ductility capacity to protect building systems against strong earthquake shaking. Where earthquake shaking will result in inelastic response including compressive yielding of the boundary elements of the wall, special boundary elements are required. Such boundary elements generally have closely spaced transverse reinforcement to confine the core concrete and provide lateral support for longitudinal reinforcement, thereby providing a capability for stable compressive yielding. Building codes around the world prescribe reinforcing steel detailing requirements whose purpose is to enable the boundary element to achieve the anticipated performance. As wall boundary element geometries have evolved over past decades, however, questions have arisen about the effectiveness of some of these building codes to achieve the desired performance. This paper presents laboratory test results of the response of thin boundary element test specimens subjected to pure compression. The tested elements have transverse reinforcement detailing that matches or exceeds current code requirements for special boundary elements. The main test variables are the amount and spacing (both vertical and horizontal) of the hoop and crosstie reinforcement. The effects of these variations are reported, with an aim of better understanding the detailing requirements necessary to achieve ductile response. Results are also compared with previous test results and widely used mathematical models. Outcomes of this investigation suggest that current building code requirements for special boundary elements do not necessarily achieve effective confinement to protect their sections against brittle axial failure. Building code revisions are suggested based on the test results.
Source: Texas Advanced Computing Center
DOI: 10.4231/d37h1dn29
Authors: Arteta, Carlos, To, Duy, Moehle, Jack
Language: English
Subfield: Building and Construction
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6910476331