Experimental study on performance of precast assembled damping wall-frame unit

To learn energy dissipation mechanism and performance of precast assembled damping wall-frame, four reduced scale specimens of one-story and single-bay precast frame including prefabricated damping wall-frame, conventional wall-frame and bare frame were designed and tested for a comparison of the failure characteristics, hysteretic curves, energy-dissipating capacity and degradation of stiffness of the specimens. Test results indicate that the precast assembled damping wall-frame exhibits rounded hysteresis loops and well-performed energy dissipation capacity; compared to the conventional wall, the assembled damping wall can provide less additional horizontal bearing capacity and lateral stiffness of the frame, and therefore, by releasing the excessive restraint to the assembled frame, the adverse effects in seismic resistance of structure attributed to the additional stiffness from conventional infill walls can be alleviated or even avoided; the damping wall with rational constitution and design, whether it is assembled or not, can performs well in the cases of large loading displacement; the construction precision for assembled damping wall shall be controlled, otherwise its damping performance may be impaired, so that some unnecessary damage of walls may be produced. © 2019, Editorial Office of China Civil Engineering Journal. All right reserved.