Effect of Axial Load and Web Reinforcement Ratio on Seismic Behavior of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer-Reinforced Concrete Squat Walls

A laboratory test program was undertaken to characterize the seismic performance of concrete squat walls entirely reinforced with glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars. Four large-scale specimens were constructed and tested under the combined action of constant axial and quasi-static lateral reversed cyclic loads. The specimens were 150 mm (6 in.) in thickness, 1400 mm (55 in.) in length, and 1600 mm (63 in.) in height, with a corresponding aspect ratio of 1.14. The primary test variables were the axial load ratio (ALR) and web reinforcement ratio (horizontal and vertical). The test results were analyzed in terms of cracking behavior, failure mechanisms, hysteretic response, and web and boundary reinforcement strains. The effect of the test variables on the lateral load and drift capacity, energy dissipation, and deformability aspects were carefully examined. Overall, the ALR impacted neither the lateral load and drift capacity nor the energy dissipated by a specimen prior to failure. The web reinforcement, on the other hand, had a direct impact on the lateral load and drift capacity as well as on the wall deformability and energy dissipation characteristics.