Seismic performance of steel-concrete composite structural walls with prestressed internal bracing

This paper presents research investigations on the seismic performances of steel-concrete composite structural walls with prestressed internal bracing. The lateral stiffness of the walls was increased with embedded steel while the prestressed internal braces are designed to control the cracks of the wall. Tests are conducted for steel-concrete walls with different arrangement of prestressed internal bracing. The specimens were observed and analyzed by the cracking process and patterns, the hysteresis response, the deformation component and the loss of the prestress during the loading process. Additionally, numerical investigations were performed for the tested specimens. Finite element models were built for these walls.