The Seismic Behaviour of RC Exterior Shear Walls Used for Strengthening of Intact and Damaged Frames

Abstract

Several strengthening techniques such as steel plate bonding, external post-tensioning, steel bracing, or addition of new structural elements have been widely used to improve the seismic behaviour of structures, which suffer from earthquakes. Especially, adding infill walls and shear walls to the structures are preferred because of the added increase in lateral strength and stiffness. Nevertheless, applications of these techniques have some difficulties in terms of labour, cost, usage, and comfort for occupants. Due to these difficulties, the exterior shear wall, instead of an infill wall, is applied to strengthen structures, especially for public buildings like schools, hospitals, etc. In this study, the seismic behaviours of the exterior shear walls used to strengthen intact and damaged frames were investigated experimentally. For this purpose, reinforced concrete shear walls were positioned in parallel to the exterior sides of the damaged and the intact three-dimensional frames. Both frames were tested under cyclic loads. After the investigation, the hysteresis curve, strength envelope, stiffness degradation, and the energy dissipation capacity were obtained to reveal the seismic behaviour of the strengthening exterior shear walls. In addition to these, the differences in behaviours of the shear walls applied to damaged and intact frames were identified.