Experimental evaluation of the cyclic behavior of implanted reinforced concrete shear walls

Adding new reinforced concrete (RC) shear walls is a widely adopted strategy for seismic strengthening of deficient RC buildings; however, the global performance of such walls depends critically on the reliability of the wall–foundation connection. This study experimentally investigates the cyclic behavior of newly implanted RC shear walls anchored to existing foundations using post-installed vertical reinforcement, highlighting the influence of embedment length. A two-stage experimental program was conducted. The first stage focused on pull-out tests to find the best adhesive type and hole diameter. In the second stage, four large-scale shear wall specimens were tested under displacement-controlled cyclic lateral loading: one control wall with cast-in-place reinforcement and three walls anchored using post-installed bars with embedment lengths of 10Ø, 15Ø, and 20Ø. The experimental results showed that variations in embedment length directly influence the lateral strength and stiffness degradation of the tested shear walls, as well as their hysteretic response and observed failure mode. Specimens with relatively short embedment lengths exhibited early interface slip accompanied by a reduction in lateral strength. Longer embedment lengths led to a shift toward flexure-dominated behavior and better cyclic performance. An embedment length of 20Ø produced a balanced combination of strength, stiffness-retention, and cyclic stability.