Cyclic response of a self-centering RC wall with tension-compression-coupled disc spring devices

Abstract A strong self-centering ability and robust ductility have previously been observed in the pseudo-static cyclic loading test conducted on a self-centering shear wall (SCSW) with disc spring devices (DSD). However, the bearing capacity and initial stiffness of the wall are reduced by 34.18% and 53.72% respectively compared with the conventional reinforced concrete wall. Therefore, this paper develops a tension–compression-coupled DSD (TCCDSD) to enhance the bearing capacity of the SCSW. The static cyclic responses of the TCCDSD and the SCSW-TCCDSD are investigated through numerical models. TCCDSD exhibits high first and soft second stiffness values during loading, as well as an asymmetric flag-shaped cyclic response. The mechanical model proposed in the paper demonstrates a high accuracy. Compared with the previous SCSW-DSD, the bearing capacity and initial stiffness of the SCSW-TCCDSD increase by 18.12% and 43.53%, respectively, yet the maximum residual drift ratio only increases by 0.044%. Parametric analysis reveals that increasing the first tensile stiffness or the first compressive stiffness of the TCCDSD can enhance the initial stiffness of the wall. Increasing the second compressive stiffness of the TCCDSD can reduce the residual drift of the SCSW, while a higher second tensile stiffness will result in an obvious residual drift. Moreover, a steel plate reinforcer (SPR) is designed to control the damage of the wall. Despite the reduction damage of the region covered by the SPR, severe shear deformation is concentrated on the interface between the wall and foundation as the SPR is not embedded into the foundation.