Seismic Performance of Special Structural Walls Using Overlapping Hoops Instead of Closed Hoops

In this study repeated cyclic loading tests were carried out on seven shear wall specimens, which were fabricated in a real scale. The purpose of these experiments is to investigate the difference on the seismic performance of the wall depending on two methods of confining longitudinal bars at the wall boundaries and propose relaxed bar arrangement details that could be used in a moderate to high seismicity zone. The results showed that the seismic performance of special shear walls using overlapping loops as transverse reinforcement of the boundary element was similar to that of special shear walls using a closed hoop in strength, stiffness, and energy dissipation. This means the former can serve as an alternative for rational seismic design for moderate to high seismicity zones using overlapping hoops.