Seismic performance of steel coupling beam–wall connections in panel shear failure

Increasingly, engineers are designing hybrid and mixed building systems of structural steel and reinforced concrete to produce more efficient structures than can be realized using either material alone. Recent literature has pointed out a need for greater understanding of the interaction of structural steel and reinforced concrete in such systems. In this paper, the seismic performance of steel coupling beam–wall connections in a hybrid coupled shear wall system is examined through results of an experimental research programme where three 2/3-scale specimens were tested under cyclic loading. The test variables included the reinforcement details that confer a ductile behaviour on the steel coupling beam–wall connections, i.e., the face bearing plates and the horizontal ties in the panel region of the steel coupling beam–wall connections. It investigates the seismic behaviour of the steel coupling beam–wall connections in terms of the failure mechanism, hysteretic response, strength, stiffness, and dissipated energy characteristics. The results and discussion presented in this paper provide background for a companion paper that includes a design model for calculating the panel shear strength of the steel coupling beam–wall connections.