"Structural Behavior of Shear Wall Strengthened by Carbon FRP Strips Mechanically Fastened under Cyclic Lateral Load "

This study investigates the structural behavior of shear walls strengthened externally with mechanically fastened carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) strips under cyclic loads. Five specimens, each featuring distinct strengthening configurations (SHW0, SHW1, SHW2, SHW3, and SHW4), were examined; the specimen SHW0 is serving as the control sample and the others have been strengthened with carbon fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) strips, using both mechanical fasteners and non-fastened methods. The results demonstrated that the addition of CFRP strips significantly enhances the load-bearing capacity, displacement resistance, ductility, and energy dissipation of the shear walls. Specifically, SHW3 merges horizontal CFRP strips with mechanical fasteners, exhibited the highest performance in terms of load capacity, ductility, and energy absorption. SHW4, with CFRP X-strips and fasteners, followed closely behind. In contrast, SHW1 and SHW2, although showing improvement over SHW0, offer lower levels of deformation capacity and energy dissipation. Furthermore, mechanical fasteners play a critical role in enhancing the energy dissipation capacity and stability of shear walls under seismic loads.