Experimental and numerical study on the seismic performance of T-shaped precast concrete shear walls with steel double tube connections

This paper proposed an innovative joint assembled by the high-strength screw rod with pre-buried steel double tube connections (SDTCs) in the T-shaped precast concrete shear walls (TPSWs). To study the seismic behavior of TPSWs with SDTCs, the low-reversed cyclic loading experiment and numerical simulation were carried out. In addition, parametric analysis was carried out to study the key parameters affecting the seismic performance of the novel joint, including the spacing of vertical SDTCs, the edge distance of vertical SDTCs, the axial compression ratio, and the shear span ratio. The test and simulation results showed that the spacing of vertical SDTCs had no significant effect on the carrying capacity of the new type of TPSWs. For the edge distance of vertical SDTCs, the smaller the edge distance, the higher the carrying capacity and the lower the ductility of the shear wall. Increasing the axial compression ratio will increase the carrying capacity but the effect is limited. Meanwhile, the ductility of the TPSWs will deteriorate. Increasing the shear span ratio will reduce the carrying capacity and improve the ductility. The shear span ratio is an important factor influencing the failure mode of the novel TPSWs. With the increase of the shear span ratio from 1.04 to 1.76, the failure mode varied in the order of shear failure, bending-shear failure, and bending failure. The final failure mode of the innovative TPSWs was the typical bending failure when the shear span ratio was greater than 1.52. Finally, the reasonable value range of the key parameters affecting the mechanical performance of the novel TPSWs was proposed, and the current codes can predict the bearing capacity of the novel shear walls which provide a basis for subsequent study.