Non-Structural Reinforced Concrete Partition Walls as Secondary Damping Devices

To investigate the seismic behavior of the fully isolated (slitted) non-structural reinforced concrete walls using dowel bars, authors performed the static loading tests and seismic response analysis. According to the results, such walls had no negative effects on the stiffness balance or deformation capacity of the building structure and consumed energy mainly by the damaged dowel bars under small and mid scale earthquakes. The lateral strength and the hysteretic energy absorption of the non-structural walls with only horizontal slit face could be calculated as the cumulative increase of the performance of each dowel bar. The results show that non-structural walls have potentials to be incorporated into actual buildings as a new passive control device. It can be considered to be reserves for the seismic performance of the building, which would contribute to re-appreciation of the asset value of existing buildings.