Finite element analysis with solid and plane element of seismic performance of self-centering pre-stressed shear walls

Self-centering shear wall structure has no vertical reinforcement at the wall-foundation interface and uses the unbonded pre-stressed tendon to connect the wall to the foundation; it is an important part of the resilient structural system. Lateral displacements result in a separation gap forming at the wall-foundation connection and gravity loading and pre-stressed unbounded tendons provide the restoring force in the shear wall. Finite element analysis was done by using ABAQUS software to simulate the seismic performance of a cyclic loading test with solid element, plane stress element and shell element, and the results of simulation were compared with the test results and compared with each other in accuracy and efficiency. The results indicate that the simulation methods used could capture the hysteresis behavior, the stress of unbounded pre-stressed tendon and the stress/strain parameter of the self-centering pre-stressed walls, and it is proved reasonability and feasibility to make the structural simulation with shell element in dynamic explicit analysis.