Seismic performance of concrete walls for housing subjected to shaking table excitations

Aimed at better understanding the seismic behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) walls, typically used in one-to-two stories housing in several Latin American countries, a large investigation project has been carried out. Previous experimental programs considered the behavior of walls subjected to monotonically and cyclically increased loads. This paper compares and discusses displacement and shear strength capacities, as well as the dynamic characteristics of six RC walls tested under shaking table excitations. Variables studied were the wall geometry (solid walls and walls with openings), type of concrete (normalweight and lightweight), web steel reinforcement ratio (0.125% and 0.25%) and type of web reinforcement (deformed bars and welded-wire mesh). Shaking table tests were essential for assessing dynamic characteristics, such as changes in fundamental frequencies and damping factors of RC walls for low-rise housing.

► Results of low-rise RC walls tested under shaking table excitations are discussed. ► Wall properties were typical of housing in several Latin American countries. ► Frequency of vibration at strength was equivalent to 55% of the initial frequency. ► The 5% damping factor commonly used for design is consistent with measured values. ► Type of web reinforcement significantly affected the displacement capacity of walls.