Experimental Study on Failure Mechanism of RC Walls with Different Boundary Elements under Vertical and Lateral Loads

Reinforced concrete (RC) shear walls have been widely applied in high-rise buildings. DBSD (Displacement-Based Seismic Design) of shear wall structures requires more accurate deformation evaluation theories and methods. Boundary elements of RC walls have been found to have a significant impact on the seismic behaviours, but the strain-stress development details including plane section assumption and linear curvature distribution are seldom investigated by specialized experiments. To investigate the failure mechanism of shear walls and the influence of the boundary element, 6 RC wall specimens with different boundary elements are studied in this paper. Strain development data of the shear wall section and along wall height were collected during the loading procedure. The failure mechanism of the RC walls with different boundary elements is studied by discussing the development of the strain. Study emphasis is laid on the adaption of plane-section assumption during the whole service procedure, the curvature development along the wall height during the whole service procedure, the influence of boundary element to moment-curvature relationship. Test results indicate that boundary element can restrain the growth of the strain, enhance the horizontal bearing capacity, and improve the seismic resistant capacity. The study also re-evaluates the plane section assumption and linear curvature distribution currently used based on the results of the deformation of the shear walls by the experimental investigation of the shear walls with different boundary element.