Structural Characteristics Influence on Capacity of Curved RC Shear Walls Under Seismic Loading

Curved structural elements can be employed to create visually appealing architectural and aesthetic features, making them popular in the current trend of modern buildings toward adopting complex shapes. As a salient configuration of curved members, reinforced concrete shear walls (RCSWs) possessing curved cross-section can afford several advantages as compared to rectangular-shaped RCSWs. Due to the dearth of knowledge pertaining to the structural behavior of curved RCSWs (CRCSWs), this paper aims at assessing the contribution of structural characteristics on the shear strength capacity of CRCSWs. At first, based on the established non-linear finite element (FE) framework in conjunction with non-linear regression analysis (NRA), an applicable code-based formulation is put forward. Thereafter, the experimental data of a one-third scale squat CRCSW with constant thickness and radius of curvature is considered to delineate the capabilities of the proposed approach. The findings reveal that, the established equation is capable to well predict the shear strength capacity of CRCSWs with less than ۱۰ percent error. A parametric investigation has also been conducted to signify the contribution of compressive strength of concrete material, yield strength of steel reinforcements, and axial load ratio (ALR) on the shear strength capacity estimation of CRCSWs. Although the structural benefits of RCSWs with curved cross-section are inevitable, further research should be conducted to better understand the structural performance of CRCSWs under various loading conditions. Eventually, provisions for the design codes are needed to keep pace with current desired application of CRCSWs.

کلیدواژه ها:

Curved RC shear wall ، Experimental investigation ، Regression analysis ، Seismic loading ، Structural characteristics