Estimation of relations among hysteretic response measures and design parameters for RC rectangular shear walls

Seismic design of RC structures requires estimation of structural member behavioral measures as functions of design parameters. In this study, the relations among cyclic behavioral measures and design parameters have been investigated for rectangular RC shear walls using numerical simulations calibrated based on the published laboratory tests. The OpenSEES numerical simulations modeling of plastic hinge hysteretic behavior of RC shear walls and estimation of empirical relations among wall hysteretic indices and design parameters are presented. The principal design parameters considered were wall dimensions, axial force, reinforcement ratios, and end-element design parameters. The estimated hysteretic response measures are wall effective stiffness, yield and ultimate curvatures, plastic moment capacity, yield and ultimate displacements, flexural shear capacity, and dissipated energy. Using results of numerous analyses, the empirical relations among wall cyclic behavioral measures and design parameters are developed and their accuracy is investigated.

Seismic performance of HWBBF considering different design methods and structural heights

Previous research has shown that using buckling-restrained braces(BRBs)at hinged wall(HW)base(HWBB)can effectively mitigate lateral deformation of steel moment-resisting frames(MRFs)in earthquakes.Forcebased and displacement-based design methods have been proposed to design HWBB to strengthen steel MRF and this paper comprehensively compares these two design methods,in terms of design steps,advantages/disadvantages,and structure responses.In addition,this paper investigates the building height below which the HW seismic moment demand can be properly controlled.First,3-story,9-story,and 20-story steel MRFs in the SAC project are used as benchmark steel MRFs.Secondly,HWs and HWBBs are designed to strengthen the benchmark steel MRFs using force-based and displacement-based methods,called HWFs and HWBBFs,respectively.Thirdly,nonlinear time history analyses are conducted to compare the structural responses of the MRFs,HWBBFs and HWFs in earthquakes.The results show the following.1)HW seismic force demands increase as structural height increases,which may lead to uneconomical HW design.The HW seismic moment demand can be properly controlled when the building is lower than nine stories.2)The displacement-based design method is recommended due to the benefit of identifying unfeasible component dimensions during the design process,as well as better achieving the design target displacement.