Experimental evaluation of cyclic behavior of precast concrete frame with steel shear wall

This study seeks to integrate steel shear walls with precast concrete systems into stable and resistant structures against lateral loads. It is desired to study the ductility factor, lateral strength, and behavior as well as the energy absorption of this integrated system compared to the precast concrete frame without a shear wall. For this purpose, two steel shear wall samples made of mild steel and galvanized steel plates are constructed within a precast concrete frame. The assembly is tested under a cyclic lateral load. The integrity of the connections of steel strips of the wall together, and the boundary of the wall to the frame, is observed to be excellent. The main failure mode is composed of the diagonal yielding of the steel wall. The system benefits from large hysteresis loops and no degradation because of any instability. The beam‐column connections remain almost intact even at large cycles of deformation. Moreover, a bare precast concrete frame is tested in the same way to compare the lateral behavior. The utilized ductile beam‐column connections are successful in retaining the integrity of the system until large drifts. However, the seismic design characteristics of the bare frame turn out to be inferior to the steel shear wall system. Results of the cyclic tests show that by proper design of the interior and exterior connections of the shear wall as well as the beam‐column connections, the steel shear wall system can largely increase the stiffness, ultimate strength, and energy dissipation capacity of a bare precast moment resisting reinforced concrete frame. On top of that, the system is able to retain its integrity up to lateral drifts over 2%.