Shear Behaviour of Full-Scale Squat Shear Walls with and without Precast Pre-walls

Reinforced concrete shear walls are commonly used in buildings to resist lateral loads due to wind and seismic action. They are typically either cast-in-place or precast, with the latter solution used to achieve high construction speed and quality control. At the same time, the main challenge with precast solutions is to ensure appropriate connections between the adjacent walls, as well as the anchorage of the walls in the foundations. A hybrid structural system combining precast and cast-in-place concrete can provide the advantages of both methods such as faster construction, better quality control, improved structural performance, and durability. This study focuses on investigating the shear behaviour of squat hybrid shear walls through full-scale experimental testing. The tests include one conventional cast-in-place wall and one hybrid wall with a pre-wall system (two precast walls) and cast-in-place concrete core. Detailed measurements and kinematic-based modelling are used to develop comprehensive understanding of the behaviour of the test specimens. It is shown that the hybrid method of construction does not affect the stiffness of the walls and results in a slight reduction of shear strength. It is also shown that the three-parameter kinematic theory can be used to predict the shear strength and key deformation components of the tested walls.