Stress Mechanism and Energy Dissipation Performance Optimization of Prefabricated ECC/RC Combined Shear Walls under Low Cyclic Loading

Abstract

The application of ECC materials in major stress and energy dissipation regions of prefabricated reinforced concrete (RC) shear walls to form prefabricated ECC/RC combined shear walls can improve the seismic capacity of structures. The stress and damage mechanism of a 1/2-scale two-story spatial structure specimen of the prefabricated ECC/RC combined shear wall under low cyclic loading is numerically simulated. By comparing the numerical simulation results with the experimental results, the correctness of the numerical simulation method is verified. On this basis, a detailed whole process analysis is carried out by the numerical simulation method, including the stress distribution of the concrete and ECC, compression damage of the concrete and ECC, crack distribution of the concrete and ECC, stress distribution of the reinforcement, and structural and fabricated joint displacement. The whole process analysis effectively reflects the cracking, damage, and failure law of the specimen and extensively reveals the failure mechanism and internal force distribution law of the fabricated ECC/RC combined shear wall structure. Based on the stress and damage mechanism, the seismic energy dissipation performance with different ranges of ECC use in the bottom of the wall is studied. The results show that when the ECC height of the bottom walls is 400 mm, the energy dissipation performance of the prefabricated ECC/RC combined shear wall structure reaches an optimal value.

Study on Optimization Design of Prefabricated ECC/RC Composite Coupled Shear Walls Based on Seismic Energy Dissipation Mechanism

“…The size of the standard example is consistent with the 1/2-scale two-story spatial structure specimen of the prefabricated ECC/RC combined shear wall studied in the previous study [38]. In the standard example, the type of longitudinal reinforcement is HRB400, the type of horizontal reinforcement is HRB335, the type of coupling beam and constrained edge member reinforcement is HRB335, the type of concrete is C40, the type of ECC is E40 (the standard compressive strength of cube is 40MPa).…”

“…The prefabricated ECC/RC combined shear wall structure is an innovative prefabricated composite structure with better seismic performance by using ECC materials with better ductility in the main force and energy consumption parts of the prefabricated reinforced concrete (RC) shear wall structure. In the research we did earlier, the stress evolution and failure mechanism of the prefabricated ECC/RC combined shear wall under low cyclic loading were numerically investigated [38].And the theoretical analysis method is verified by the experimental results. According to our previous research on the stress evolution and energy dissipation, the key parameters affecting the seismic energy dissipation capacity of this kind of structure are the use regions of ECC in composite coupling beams, use regions of ECC in shear walls, strength of ECC, stirrup ratio of coupling beams, strength of longitudinal reinforcement and so on.…”

“…Compared with the prefabricated shear wall specimen without ECC materials, the seismic energy dissipation capacity of the specimen using ECC materials in the cast-in-situ connection areas is improved. Then, on the basis of experimental research, the principle for stress and energy dissipation under low cyclic loading was studied by finite element analysis [38]. This study exhibited the failure mechanism and internal force distribution of the prefabricated ECC/RC shear walls.…”

Blast Mitigation of Reinforced Concrete Structures Incorporating Shear Walls in Modern Building Designs

“…In the case of wind loading, the shear walls failed primarily due to excessive overturning, tension and compression, and excessive deflections [42,43]. Studies also show extensive research investigating the stress distribution [44], deformation, and failure [45,46] mechanisms of shear walls under different loading conditions, with no research evaluating the macro performances of regular and irregular buildings equipped with shear walls subjected to blast-induced vibrations. The present research investigated the structural blast behaviours of regular (square and rectangular buildings) and irregular buildings (L and C-shaped buildings) classified as per provisions drafted in Table 5 of IS 1893:2016 [47].…”

Research on Optimization Design of Prefabricated ECC/RC Composite Coupled Shear Walls Based on Seismic Energy Dissipation

“…Ye et al [36] and Yang et al [37] conducted low cyclic loading experiments on RECC-coupled shear walls, finding that using ECC materials in cast in situ connection areas significantly improved the seismic energy dissipation capacity compared to specimens without ECC. Yang et al [38] studied the principles of stress and energy dissipation under low cyclic loading through finite element analysis, revealing the failure mechanisms and internal force distribution in prefabricated ECC/RC shear walls. However, to date, no study on the optimization design of prefabricated ECC/RC composite coupled shear walls based on seismic energy dissipation mechanism or comprehensive quantitative analysis has been conducted.…”