Influence of shear span ratio on the seismic performance of L-shaped RC walls

Abstract

Owing to their capability of meeting both structural and architectural demands, L-shaped reinforced-concrete (RC) walls are widely employed in low-rise and high-rise buildings. In spite of their popularity, the experimental data on the seismic performance of these walls is relatively sparse, especially with respect to their behaviour under lateral loads that are not parallel to the wall segments. In order to obtain improved understanding of such walls, quasi-static cyclic tests on six slender L-shaped RC walls were conducted under displacement control in Nanyang Technological University (Singapore). Through comparison with four squat L-shaped RC walls described in the literature, the influence of shear span ratio was highlighted in terms of cracking patterns, failure mechanisms, hysteretic responses, deformation components and strain profiles. Moreover, shear lag effect and effective stiffness were analysed using non-linear section analyses and methods available in the literature. The results showed the shear span ratio had a significant impact on the seismic performance of L-shaped RC walls, and should be addressed discretely in the design.