Experimental and numerical investigation of the seismic response of precast wall connections

This paper investigates the seismic response of lightly reinforced precast concrete shear walls typically used for low- to mid-rise residential systems in past and current Dutch building practice. The results of a wide set of pseudostatic cyclic tests performed on full-scale single precast panels with or without openings were examined and discussed, quantifying the sensitivity of structural response and failure mode to changes in axial load and wall geometry. Behavioral aspects of those panels were treated at a global/structural and local/sectional level, posing particular emphasis on their wall-to-foundation and wall-to-wall joints. Asymmetric push–pull tests of precast wall connections were also carried out and presented to characterize the cyclic behavior of this type of joint system under simulated seismic loading. The outcome of this large campaign of experimental tests was then used to develop and validate a simple numerical model to be integrated in a framework for large scale seismic fragility analysis of precast terraced structures built with this particular technology.