Cyclic loading test for emulative precast concrete walls with partially reduced rebar section

In conventional precast concrete (PC) walls subject to cyclic loading, the ductility and energy dissipation capacity are decreased by gap opening and shear slip at the panel joints. In this study, to enhance the earthquake resistance of emulative PC walls, two potential methods were studied. First, bonded or unbonded longitudinal rebars with partially reduced cross-sectional area were used at the plastic hinge zone. By using the reduced rebar area, the PC panel at the wall bottom was weakened to develop a plastic hinge zone in the PC panel rather than at the panel joints. Second, a RC–PC hybrid wall was considered, where cast-in-place concrete was used for the plastic hinge zone at the bottom of wall. Four specimens, including an ordinary RC wall, were tested under cyclic loading. The test results revealed that gap opening and shear slip at the panel joints were prevented by using the proposed methods. As a result, the ductility and energy dissipation of the proposed PC walls were comparable to those of the RC wall.