Experimental investigation of self-centering hybrid concrete shear walls subjected to horizontal cyclic loading

As an effective way to facilitate functional recovery, self-centering structures are gaining increased attention from researchers. Extensive experimental studies of self-centering concrete shear walls have been conducted in recent decades, but there are still a limited number of full-scale tests assessing the stiffness, ductility, and tendon stress variation. In this study, the seismic performance of self-centering concrete shear walls was investigated. Full-scale tests of seven cantilever walls were conducted under a constant gravity load, including six self-centering shear walls and one cast-in situ shear wall. The failure modes of the cast-in situ wall and the self-centering walls were compared, and different indices representing the seismic performance were calculated and analyzed further, such as the stiffness, ductility, residual drift, contact length, tendon stress variation, and the energy-dissipating capacity, to present a full assessment of the seismic performance of the self-centering concrete shear walls. It was found that although the longitudinal bars and concrete were terminated at the wall base joint, the self-centering walls showed comparable stiffness and larger ductility than the cast-in situ wall, and sufficient dissipating capacity to resist seismic events. Also, the tendons worked elastically to provide a stable contribution to the self-centering ability.