Seismic behaviour of slender reinforced concrete shear walls under high axial load ratio

An experimental study has been conducted on three reinforced concrete (RC) wall specimens to study the effects of axial load ratio (ALR) and confinement on their performance to artificial earthquake loads. The walls in the form of a slender vertical cantilever with an aspect ratio of 4, fabricated with high strength concrete and high longitudinal ratio, were tested. The effects of ALR and confinement on failure mode, ductility capacity, strength degradation, and axial load capacity were critically examined. Through this study, ALR is identified as an indispensable parameter for consideration in seismic performance assessment of RC shear walls. The influences of ALR on life safety, collapse prevention and collapse performance level criteria of rectangular shear walls are also briefly discussed.