Behavior and Design of High-Strength RC Walls

Use of high-strength reinforced concrete walls in regions of high seismic risk is evaluated using current U.S. code provisions, an example building parametric studies, and experimental results. The format of current U.S. code provisions for structural walls promotes the use of high-strength concrete; however, the use of these provisions has not been evaluated for high-strength concrete. Analytical studies of building systems utilizing slender walls indicate that there is not a significant advantage associated with the use of high-strength concrete walls and that this advantage tends to diminish with increasing concrete strength. Evaluation of test results conducted in Japan for low-aspect ratio walls indicates that ACI 318-95 requirements do no represent the observed shear strength well.