Theoretical and Experimental Study of Hybrid Steel-Concrete Walls with Openings Subjected to Seismic Actions

The paper presents the results of a research program that studies the seismic behaviour and performance of hybrid steel–concrete shear walls with openings coupled with conventional reinforced concrete beams. The experimental specimens are manufactured at a scale of 1:3 to reproduce a three-story wall with door openings and were tested under cyclic loads to simulate the real behaviour under seismic action. This paper presents the experimental behaviour of two hybrid steel-concrete shear walls with centered and staggered openings having the same reinforcement configuration at the edges. The connection of steel profiles was assured by horizontal stiffeners welded along the height of the boundary elements. The performance of both walls was analysed by performing numerical analyses using ATENA 3D numerical software. The theoretical study based on numerical models was performed and calibrated using the experimental behaviour of the tested specimens until failure. The paper concludes that the behaviour of hybrid shear walls with staggered openings is governed by the capacity of the coupling beams, which could substantially decrease the deformation and dissipation capacity of such elements. The degree of coupling plays the main role into a correct design of hybrid walls if a high dissipation energy is expected by using the yielding capacity of steel profiles. Further investigations are needed to optimise the solutions and design replaceable coupling beams.