Cyclic Performance of Shape Memory Alloy Reinforced Concrete Walls

Abstract

Concrete walls are commonly used to resist lateral loads. Their relatively high stiffness limits the inter-story drifts and minimizes damage to other structural and nonstructural elements. However, significant structural damage to the walls is expected during seismic events. This study investigates numerically the effectiveness of using Superelastic (SE) Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) bars to improve the seismic performance of moderate and squat concrete walls. The used analytical model was validated using experimental results by others. It was then utilized to investigate the cyclic load-displacement response of one-intermediate and two-squat walls while incorporating SMA bars. Results of this study led to identifying the location of SMA bars that result in best seismic performance