Quasi-static cyclic tests of two U-shaped RC walls under diagonal loading
Reinforced concrete core walls are often used to provide horizontal
stiffness and strength to mid- or high-rise buildings. The design
practice is, however, largely based on findings from tests and analysis
of rectangular walls subjected to uni-directional loading. Two
quasi-static cyclic tests on U-shaped walls were conducted in which the
walls were loaded in the diagonal direction. These tests highlight that
the diagonal loading direction is critical for the following reasons:
(1) The strain gradient across the wall width promotes out-of-plane
buckling of the boundary elements in the flange ends; (2) Plane section
analysis does not yield reliable moment capacity estimates for the
diagonal loading direction and (3) Under diagonal loading the
compression depth in the flange end boundary elements is larger than for
the other loading directions, exposing unconfined concrete to large
compressive strains. The test data comprises conventional and optical
measurements as well as results of material tests and photos documenting
the damage of the test specimens.
Note: If you use the any of the data or the photos please reference the following article: Constantin R, Beyer K (2016) Behaviour of U-shaped RC walls under quasi-static cyclic diagonal loading. Engineering Structures, 106(1):36-52.
Note: If you use the any of the data or the photos please reference the following article: Constantin R, Beyer K (2016) Behaviour of U-shaped RC walls under quasi-static cyclic diagonal loading. Engineering Structures, 106(1):36-52.