Experiment and Simulation Analysis for Performance of Squat Shear Wall in Nuclear Island

Abstract In nuclear island, shear wall has the characteristic of low shear span ratio (low aspect ratio) and high reinforcement ratio, which can be called as the squat shear wall. The performance of squat shear wall determines the seismic PSA analysis conclusion of nuclear island structures. According to the typical wall in nuclear island, three large-scale specimens of squat shear wall are designed. Considering different axial compressions, quasi-static experiments are conducted. The load, displacement, cracks and final failure mode are obtained. Hysteresis curve, skeleton curve, energy dissipation capacity, ductility coefficient, stiffness degradation and other performance data are calculated and analyzed. A proper nonlinear simulation method is presented where the key parameters in simulation are calibrated by experimental data. The FEM results and experiment results are in good agreements. The result shows that the squat shear wall in nuclear island has high loading bearing capacity, but the ability to resist deformation is limited, so the wall tends to be brittle. The reduction of axial compression ratio can enhance the energy dissipation capacity of shear walls. The variation of axial compression ratio has little impact on the stiffness degradation.