Seismic performance of M‐section lightweight steel‐reinforced concrete shear walls

Abstract To overcome the shortcomings of traditional shear walls, a new type of M‐section lightweight steel‐reinforced concrete (MLSRC) shear wall is proposed. One cast‐in‐place shear wall and three MLSRC shear walls were designed. Through quasistatic tests, the seismic performance was investigated, with the research parameters being the dowel arrangements and the connection methods between the upper and lower layers of the shear wall. The results revealed that the plastic region of the wall concentrated mainly near the horizontal joint section. From the top of the lap rebar to the top surface of the foundation, the strain in the lap rebar gradually increased, whereas the strain in the M‐section lightweight steel gradually decreased. The stiffness, ductility, and load‐bearing capacity values for the three types of MLSRC shear walls are essentially consistent. The failure modes are similar to that of the cast‐in‐place concrete shear wall. Noncontact lap splicing of the upper and lower layers of rebar can effectively transfer stress. The three rebar arrangements have similar impacts on the seismic performance of MLSRC shear walls, and the shear walls exhibit comparable seismic performance to that of cast‐in‐place concrete shear walls. Finally, finite element models of the specimens were established via finite element software, with the concrete damage, rebar stress distribution, and hysteresis curves closely matching the experimental results.