Mohammad J. Tolou Kian - PhD Candidate, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta,Canada,
Carlos A. Cruz Noguez - Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Alberta, Canada,

The current paper presents the results of an experimental study on the seismic performance of three innovative reinforced concrete (RC) shear walls detailed with high-performance materials. The study explored the hysteretic response of three prototype RC shear wall specimens cast with fiber reinforced cementitious composites and reinforced with steel rebars and special types of reinforcement with self-centering properties. The self-centering reinforcement used in this study included shape memory alloy bars, glass fiber reinforced polymer bars, and un-bonded high strength steel strands. The specimens were supported as cantilevers and were tested to failure under lateral displacement reversals. The response of each innovative shear wall specimen was compared to that of a control RC shear wall specimen to investigate the performance of each innovative construction method over the conventional practice. The test results revealed that the innovative shear walls exhibited improved seismic characteristics including higher self-centering and mitigated damage in comparison to the control specimen.

Reinforced concrete, Shear walls, Self-centering, Innovative materials