Seismic performance evaluation of hybrid coupled shear wall system with shear and flexural fuse-type steel coupling beams

Replaceable flexural and shear fuse-type coupling beams are used in hybrid coupled shear wall (HCSW) systems, enabling concrete buildings to be promptly recovered after severe earthquakes. This study aimed to analytically evaluate the seismic behavior of flexural and shear fuse beams situated in short-, medium- and high-rise RC buildings that have HCSWs. Three building groups hypothetically located in a high seismic hazard zone were studied. A series of 2D nonlinear time history analyses was accomplished in OpenSees, using the ground motion records scaled at the design basis earthquake level. It was found that the effectiveness of fuses in HCSWs depends on various factors such as size and scale of the building, allowable rotation value, inter-story drift ratio, residual drift quantity, energy dissipation value of the fuses, etc. The results show that shear fuses better meet the requirements of rotations and drifts. In contrast, flexural fuses dissipate more energy, but their sectional stiffness should increase to meet other requirements. It was concluded that adoption of proper fuses depends on the overall scale of the building and on how associated factors are considered.