Research Information System
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING, vol.44, 2021 (SCI-Expanded)
Reinforced concrete shear walls are important vertical bearing elements that carry a large part of the lateral earthquake loads by pulling them after earthquakes occur in reinforced concrete frame systems. For this reason, reinforced concrete shear walls can be damaged at various levels after earthquakes, and their retrofitting can become a necessity. This work's scope investigated the extent to which performance levels can be increased after retrofitting reinforced concrete shear walls by using steel strips damaged at different levels under the effect of reversal cyclic lateral loading similar to earthquake loads. The variables examined within the study's scope are the level of damage to reinforced concrete shear walls and the opening size remaining in reinforced concrete shear walls. The ultimate load capacities, initial stiffness values, displacement ductility ratios, energy dissipation capacities, general load-displacement behaviors, and damage distributions were examined in detail as a result of the tests of reinforced concrete shear wall test specimens produced on a one-to-one scale. The effects of the retrofitting technique developed using steel strips on the performance of damaged reinforced concrete shear walls were interpreted. As a result of the study, it was observed that the retrofitting technique developed by using steel strips to repair the reinforced concrete shear walls with and without openings damaged in heavy and moderate levels was extremely successful in increasing the shear walls to the performance levels before the damage.