ENERGY APPROACH FOR THE DESIGN OF HYBRID CONCRETE WALLS IN SEISMIC ZONES

Abstract

In this paper, an energetic approach is used to validate some numerical models that can represent the global response of hybrid walls under the action of reversible cyclic lateral loads. The numerical results obtained were compared with experimental results by calculating the energy dissipated by the walls studied. In addition, the behavior of the wall's "energy dissipators" was evaluated, formed by corrugated steel bars, which pass through the joint between the prefabricated wall and the foundation. Another important element is the prestressing steel cable, which crosses the wall by means of post-tensioning, throughout its height, from the upper end of the wall to the base of the foundation. The post-tensioning cable is what generates a recentering behavior in the wall, which combined with the "energy dissipators" achieve a system that can control excessive displacements, with little relevant damage. The experimental results of rectangular solid hybrid walls reported by Smith et al. (2012) and Rahman and Restrepo (2000) were used, HW1 and HW3, respectively. Additionally, a comparison was made of the amount of energy dissipated between the analyzed walls and conventional monolithic walls, of similar dimensions and characteristics.