Experimental investigation of existing non-conforming RC shear walls

This work forms part of a research program to assess and strengthen existing non-conforming reinforced concrete walls, namely walls designed according to older seismic codes that do not meet the modern seismic provisions. For this purpose, a series of four shear walls, representing typical medium-rise walls, was designed and tested as cantilevers under static cyclic loading. The wall specimens are characterized by various reinforcement arrangements, focusing mainly on different amounts of shear reinforcement and on the buckling of compressive longitudinal rebars. The experimental results are compared with the assessment provisions included in Eurocode 8 - Part 3 for estimating the strength and deformation capacity of existing reinforced concrete members.