Seismic behavior of energy-saving block & invisible multi-ribbed frame walls with different sizes of openings

Abstract

To build the design method of new energy-saving block & invisible multi-ribbed frame composite walls developed by our research team, taking window and door openings of various dimensions as the parameters of the experimental study, six 1/2 scaled energy-saving block & invisible multi-ribbed frame composite wall specimens were made. The cyclic loading tests on specimens were performed. The failure characteristic, hysteretic behavior, ductility, energy dissipation capacity and stiffness degradation were investigated. The test results show that as window and door openings increase, integrity of the wall weaken, causing bearing capacity of the wall to decline, degrading the stiffness more slowly after yield, the limit displacement to be bigger, ductility to be good, energy dissipation capacity increased. The above results indicated that to rigid walls, when the bearing capacity does not decrease obviously, with appropriated opening, the seismic behavior of the wall can be greatly improved. Based on the analysis and comparison of test data, deformation limit of the wall under different performance objectives are determined, which provides the basis for the establishment of design method of the wall.