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TECHNICAL PAPER
by Thomas Paulay
'Design considerations for earthquake-resisting shearwalls with a
particular emphasis on desirable energy dissipation properties are
reviewed. After a brief description of different structural responses
to seismic motions and the derivation of ensuing actions, criteria
for the intended ductile flexural behavior of shearwalls are examined. In somewhat greater detail failure modes in shear and the
means of controlling excessive seismic shear deformations, considered to be particularly detrimental to stability in stiffness and
energy dissipation, are discussed. Detailing requirements for the reinforcement of coupling beams and the boundary zones of ductile
shearwalls, considered in New Zealand to be desirable, are reported.
Keywords: deformation; diagonal tension; ductility; earthquake resistant
structures; earthquakes; failure mechanisms; reinforced concrete; shear properties; shearwalls; structural analysis; structural design.
The primary requirement for an earthquake-resisting shearwall structure is that it should insure survival
during the largest ground shaking that can be expected in the locality. The damage suffered may be
beyond repair. Because of its inherent large stiffness,
a shearwall should protect components of a building
against all but superficial damage during more frequent seismic disturbances of smaller intensity. It is in
this latter role that shearwalls have a particular appeal
in earthquake-resisting construction.
This paper presents briefly only those aspects of design that are considered to be essential when the criterion of structural survival is to be met. Particular emphasis is given to the effects of shear on the inelastic
response of shearwall structures.
144
sponse. In New Zealand a linear increase of the seismic design base shear by up to 60 percent is being
considered when the aspect ratio of a wall h.. II,. reduces from two to one. However, the increased lateral
load resistance of a low-rise shearwall does not eliminate the necessity to detail the structure for ductility.
Most such walls will respond in the low range of fundamental periods, typically 0.3 to 0.5 sec, and hence
will be subjected to much larger ductility demands
than long period structures. Moreover, the consequences of ductility demand, in terms of damage and
strength degradation, are more severe in such structures because a larger number of inelastic load reversals must be expected during an earthquake of given
duration.
(a)
Fig. 1 -
(b)
(c)
(d)
(e)
145
1<1p 1n
tility for shearwalls is also obviated if energy dissipation takes place in specially designed rocking
foundations.
(I<Nm!
4000
; 3000
~
,Wa/1/Juck/~s
'.(
'----0
r-no;
r-2001
!200!
-10.0
!250I!mm!
10.0
Encl D~fltocf1on (,nsJ
ooo
Nominal
minimum
+ 0.9
(2a)
Ec
Eu
Strain Distnbution
..
...... .
'
Eu
Ec
Strain Distnbutions
147
A,. = 0.3s.h" (
~:: - 1) ;~ (0.5
+ 0.9
1~)
(3a)
(3b)
A *
mm 2
area of concrete core in the outer half of
section which is subjected to compression
strains, measured to outside of peripheral
hoop legs, mm 2
specified compressive strength of concrete,
MPa
fy.
specified yield strength of hoop or supplementary cross tie steel, MPa
h"
dimension of concrete core of section measured perpendicular to the direction of the
hoop bars, mm
The terms c and lw are defined in Fig. 5.
SHEAR STRENGTH
The detrimental influence that shear forces might
have on the ductile response of walls has been referred to. For this reason it is emphasized that designers should make every effort to suppress shear failures
and to control shear distortions. Once this is achieved
the optimum hysteretic response of a reinforced concrete shearwall may be assured with relative ease.
Shear failure modes
Diagonal tension is the common mode of shear failure. The control of this, with the use of web reinforcement which forms a truss mechanism, as
shown in Fig. 1c, is well established. In shearwalls this
involves horizontal web reinforcement. When the
nominal shear stresses are very high, necessitating
large amounts of shear (stirrup) reinforcement, diagonal compression failure of the web may occur. More
frequently this may be the case in flanged walls which
have thin webs. During reversed cyclic loading the
compression strength of the web is considerably reduced by intersecting diagonal cracks. During earthquakes near horizontal failure planes may develop in
plastic hinge zones along interconnecting cracks and
these may lead to a sliding shear failure. Horizontal
construction joints 2 may also present a potential
weakness in this respect. (See Fig. 1d and 1e.)
Control of diagonal tension failure
The contribution of horizontal web reinforcement
to shear resistance is well established. The contribution of mechanisms other than the traditional "truss"
is less clearly understood. For convenience the actions
of these mechanisms are collectively referred to as the
contribution of the concrete, Vc. Shear forces may be
transferred across a potential diagonal failure plane
(a) by aggregate interlock action across crack interfaces,
(b) by the uncracked flexural compression zone of
the wall, and
ACI JOURNAL I May-June 1980
v.
(4)
VT:
psi
149
(Flanges
-rl-r----,.-h
Fig. 7 -
----
Fig. 9 -
'-----~'----'>1.' M~~~)
-,-----~----0
I
I
I
L----~-----
I Mu
'
h
(b}External Act;ons
Fig. 10 -
dimensions identical to those shown in Fig. 8, considerable improvement in energy dissipation and stability
in maintaining maximum strength was observed when
diagonal bars in two directions were used, as shown in
Fig. 7a, to resist only 30 percent of the applied shear.
Diagonal bars with relatively large diameter and few
in numbers can be placed in between the orthogonal
wall reinforcement, approximately in the middle of
the wall thickness. They should be well anchored in
the foundations. Because splices are not normally involved there are no construction difficulties to be encountered when diagonal bars, as shown in Fig. 7, are
used.
150
COUPLED SHEARWALLS
More widely distributed energy dissipation is a particular advantage offered when two or more walls are
coupled by ductile beams as shown in Fig. 9. For this
reason such structures can be designed for the same
intensity of lateral seismic loading as ductile frames of
identical mass. In the design of the walls the significant effect of the axial load, introduced by the coupling beams, is to be considered in addition to aspects
discussed in the preceding sections. With skillful
choice of stiffnesses and strength, a desirable hierarchy in the development of plastification during large
seismic excitations may be established. 2 The designer
ACI JOURNAL I May-June 1980
v.
0.1 -
VT:
(MPa)
(2)
where 1 is the clear span and h is the depth of the coupling beams and the term VY:' is expressed in MPa
units.* The shear should be computed from the maximum moments, shown as M. in Fig. 10, that could
be developed in the beam. This expression insures that
conventional stirrup reinforcement is only used when
the induced nominal shear stress is very low or when
ACI JOURNAL I May-June 1980
DETAILING REQUIREMENTS
Sound detailing of earthquake-resisting shearwalls is
likely to be more important than the accurate derivation of actions that might be induced. Boundary zones
of walls in particular, when these are subjected to
large compression strains, require the designer's attention. The purpose of detailing in these areas, such as
shown in Fig. 11, is to insure (a) the full structural interaction of the boundary elements, such as flanges,
with the web of the wall, (b) that the principal vertical
reinforcement does not buckle prematurely when exposed to Bauschinger effects, and (c) that a sufficient
area of the compressed concrete is satisfactorily confined against lateral expansion when the compression
strain in the extreme fiber is likely to exceed 0.003.
Fig. II shows a boundary element of a shearwall
section that has been provided for the twofold purpose of stabilizing the wall against lateral instability
and to allow easier accommodation of the large number of tension bars required. It is proposed in New
Zealand that in potential plastic hinge regions the
principal longitudinal bars be held in position against
buckling by transverse legs of ties, spaced not further
than 200 mm (8 in.) horizontally and 6 times the diameter of the bars vertically. 7 Such a leg should be capable of resisting II 16th of the yield force in the bar
or bars it restrains. When the concrete core is also required to be confined, as shown by the cross-shaded
area for Wall B in Fig. 6, usually larger size ties or
closer tie spacing will be required if Eq. (3a) or (3b) is
to be satisfied. The emphasis them must be on giving
rigid support to the principal vertical bars, which
when so held will confine the core concrete. 9
The shear (web) reinforcement must be sufficiently
closely spaced in plastic hinge regions to insure that
groups of principal vertical compression bars, effectively stabilized individually, do not buckle as a
group. Fig. 12 shows the buckling failure of the compression zone at the base of a shearwall that has been
subj ected to several cycles of reversed inelastic loading. The overall response of this structure, which was
excellent, is seen in Fig. 2, where the buckling failure
is shown by the broken part of the load-displacement
curve at the end of the 21st semicycle.
The requirements for transverse reinforcement to
resist shear, to support laterally compression bars
against buckling and, when required, to confine a
concrete core, are of course not additive, therefore a
given reinforcement can perform multiple functions.
v.
= 1.2
151
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The views expressed are those of the author and they do not necessarily represent those of any professional society or organization
in New Zealand. However, the author wishes to acknowledge the
contribution of the New Zealand National Society for Earthquake
Engineering in fostering a continuing dialogue between all those engineers with an interest in the progress of seismic design.
In documenting various aspects of seismic design philosophy, reference was made primarily to work done in New Zealand. This
should not be taken to mean that little attention is being paid to developments elsewhere. In particular, through a steady and fruitful
exchange, the very significant research achievements of the Department of Civil Engineering, University of California, Berkeley, and
of the Research and Development Laboratories of the Portland Cement Association at Skokie, Ill., have had a strong influence on the
evolution of design procedures for earthquake-resisting concrete
structures in New Zealand.
REFERENCES
I. Paulay, T., and Spurr, D. D., "Simulated Seismic Loading on
Reinforced Concrete Frame-Shear Wall Structures," Preprints,
Sixth World Conference on Earthquake Engineering, New Delhi,
1977, pp. 221-226.
2. Park, Robert, and Paulay, Thomas, Reinforced Concrete
Structures, John Wiley and Sons, New York, 1975, 769 pp.
152
6. Paulay, T., "Some Design Considerations of Earthquake Resistant Reinforced Concrete Shear Walls," Proceedings, International Symposium on Earthquake Structural Engineering, St.
Louis, Aug. 1976, V. II, pp. 669-681.
7. "Draft New Zealand Standard Code of Practice for the Design
of Concrete Structures," DZ 3101, Standards Association of New
Zealand, Wellington, 1978.
8. Collins, Michael, "Towards a Rational Theory of RC Members in Shear," Proceedings, ASCE, V. 104, ST4, Apr. 1978, pp.
649-666.
9. Sheikh, S. A., and Uzumeri, S. M., "Properties of Concrete
Confined by Rectangular Ties," Bulletin d'lnformation, Comite
Euro-International du Beton, Paris, Apr. 1979, pp. 53-60.