Seismic Performance of Hybrid Corrosion-Free Self-Centering Concrete Shear Walls

Reinforced concrete (RC) walls are extensively used in high-rise buildings to resist lateral loads, while ensuring an adequate level of ductility. Durability problems, including corrosion of conventional steel reinforcements, necessitate exploring alternative types of reinforcement. The use of glass fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) bars is a potential solution. However, these bars cannot be used in seismic applications because of their brittleness and inability to dissipate seismic energy. Superelastic shape memory alloy (SMA) is a corrosion-free material with high ductility and unique self-centering ability. Its high cost is a major barrier to use in construction projects. The clear advantage of utilizing both SMA and FRP to achieve durable self-centering structures has motivated the development of a composite SMA-FRP bar. This paper investigates the hybrid use of FRP bars and either SMA bars or composite SMA-FRP in concrete shear walls. An extensive parametric study was conducted to study the effect of different design parameters on the lateral performance of hybrid RC walls. The seismic behavior of the hybrid walls was then examined. The hybrid walls not only solved the durability problem but also significantly improved the seismic performance.