Abstract
We performed an experimental study to measure the air leakage from a seismically damaged concrete shear wall. In this study, we used static load-cycle testing to simulate earthquake loading and made permeability measurements by pressurizing one side of the shear wall above atmospheric conditions and recording the transient-pressure decay. The air permeability measurements made on the shear wall before loading fell within the range of values published in the literature for concrete permeability. As long as the structure exhibited linear load-displacement response, no variation in the air permeability was detected. Experimental results indicate that the air permeability in the shear wall increased by a factor of 40 after the wall had been damaged (cracked).
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