Damage control and seismic behavior of self-centering RC shear wall with replaceable steel member utilizing nonlinear numerical analysis

The use of passive control systems to enhance the safety of structures and their attachments against earthquake-induced damages has gained attention in recent years. On the other hand, new seismic systems called "self-centering systems" have been developed that create a flag-shaped capacity curve by using pre-tension forces and creating a joint in the structural elements. The most important feature of the self-centering system is minimizing damage to the main structural elements and eliminating residual deformations. When these two approaches are combined, passive control systems are employed as energy dissipation devices within the self-centering reinforced concrete shear walls. In elf-centring reinforced concrete shear walls, the concrete at the corners of the walls is susceptible to damage and crushing of concrete due to concentrated compressive forces in those areas. Consequently, passive control elements are used to eliminate this damage and to make these areas more ductile, replacing the concrete. In this paper, the use of a replaceable steel member in the corners of a shear wall is investigated using numerical analysis. The steel member is installed as a passive control system to dissipate energy in the wall's foot and heel regions. Two similar walls, one with a replaceable member and the other without, are analyzed to compare the results. The results show that the wall with a replaceable member has better capacity, ductility, and energy dissipation than the wall without a replaceable member.