Cyclic behavior of thin RC Peruvian shear walls: Full-scale experimental investigation and numerical simulation

The experimental results of seven full-scale thin RC shear walls subjected to cycling loading are presented. The objective of these experiments is to evaluate the use of electro-welded wire mesh as the main reinforcement instead of a conventional reinforcement. Six walls are equipped with the electro-welded wire mesh, which is made of a non-ductile material, and one wall is reinforced with conventional bars, which are made of a ductile material. A single layer of main reinforcement is used in both directions. The edges of all walls are reinforced with conventional bars. These walls are widely used in low- and mid-rise buildings in central Peru, especially in Lima City. The structural behaviors are examined in terms of strength, stiffness, dissipated energy, and equivalent viscous damping. Finally, the "Three-parameter Park hysteretic model" is calibrated in order to reproduce the behaviors of the thin walls reinforced with the conventional reinforcement and electro welded-wire mesh. The parameters are applied to the results of the other walls reinforced by the electro-welded wire mesh. The results of numerical simulations are in good agreement with experimental results. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.