Cyclic Performance and Strain Characteristics of a Curved RC Shear Wall

Curved reinforced concrete shear walls (CRCSWs) not only are capable of offering both the stiffness and strength in any arbitrary horizontal direction, but can also fulfill some of the aesthetic and architectural requirements. Despite these advantages, a paucity of decent and in-depth investigation does exist in the literature that have examined the cyclic response of CRCSWs. Aiming to complement the existing knowledge and to highlight some particularities inherent in the cyclic performance of CRCSWs, an experimental program is established and a new loading apparatus is designed and fabricated capable of concurrently following the in-plane and out-of-plane motions. A large number of instrumentation is employed to capture the full-field measurements. Test results including the global load-deformation, onset and progression of structural damages are delineated. The findings divulge that the tested CRCSW exhibited stable performance with no evident premature strength degradation and the induced warping torsion due to intrinsic eccentricity of the centroid and shear center is largely responsible for the failure mode of the CRCSW. Detailed reconnaissance studies regarding the performance levels, and strain characteristics of the reinforcing bars and concrete surface are presented and the collected strain gauge data confirms the mechanisms of the induced damages. The inevitable effects of the longitudinal bars are highlighted in comparison with transverse bars for the response evaluation of the tested squat CRCSW. Although, the CRCSWs are utilized in practical applications, experimental evidences are scanty and it is believed that the testing program presented herein will contribute into the seismic characterization of the CRCSWs.