Experimental and numerical research on the seismic performance of precast composite shear walls with metallic-lead viscoelastic dampers

As the application of precast shear walls has become increasingly widespread, challenges such as limited deformation capacity and difficulty in post-earthquake repair have emerged as critical issues. To address these limitations, metallic-lead viscoelastic dampers (MLVDs) have been integrated into precast shear walls, resulting in the development of a precast composite shear wall system with MLVDs (PCSM). This study systematically investigates the seismic performance of PCSM through a combination of experimental research, theoretical analysis, and numerical simulation. The quasi-static test results reveal that the PCSM demonstrates a full hysteretic curve with strong deformation capacity, achieving a maximum drift ratio of 3.3 %, which significantly exceeds the requirements of the current code. Additionally, the MLVDs effectively dissipate seismic energy throughout all deformation stages, with energy dissipation contributions reaching up to 72.89 % under small deformations, serving as the first line of seismic defence for the primary structure. Moreover, a load-bearing capacity calculation method for the PCSM is developed, and the accuracy of the proposed calculation method is validated through experimental results. Finally, numerical simulations are further conducted to analyze the effects of key parameters, including the concrete compressive strength (f_c), axial compression ratio (n_c), and number of vertical seams (n_v), on the seismic performance of PCSM. The recommended values for these parameters are also determined by comparing the numerical and theoretical results. Overall, the findings of this study demonstrate that the application of MLVDs can effectively enhance the seismic performance and post-earthquake reparability of precast shear walls, and this research could lay a solid foundation for engineering applications for PCSM.