Dataset: RC U-shaped walls subjected to in-plane, diagonal, and torsional loading: new experimental findings

This dataset contains the processed experimental digital image correlation (DIC) technique data for two large-scale reinforced concrete U-shaped wall specimens tested at the Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics Laboratory (EESD Lab), École Polytechnique Féderale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland.  The abstract for the corresponding journal paper, submitted to Engineering Structures, is given below.

Although reinforced concrete U-shaped walls are popular in construction practice internationally, there is a paucity of experimental research investigating the seismic performance of such salient elements. The present paper summarizes an experimental campaign on two slender U-shaped reinforced concrete walls detailed with a single-layer of reinforcement. State-of-the-art instrumentation was used to capture the three-dimensional displacement field of the wall surfaces using digital image correlation techniques. Experimental findings are presented, including strain profiles, equivalent plastic hinge lengths, longitudinal strains at the base, cracking distributions and widths, and out-of-plane deformations. The longitudinal strain profiles showed a yielding region up the boundary ends of the flanges of approximately 800 mm to 1200 mm in length, depending on the direction of loading and at large drift levels. Approximately half of the yielding zone length was found to be equal to the equivalent plastic hinge lengths, which were found to decrease as a function of drift. The longitudinal strains at the base of these walls showed some shear lag effects when subjected to in-plane or diagonal loading. For most directions of loading, the largest crack widths were found to be associated with flexural-shear or shear cracks. When subjected to a pure torque, the vertical strain distribution at the base of the wall correlated with the theoretical distribution for an open section governed by warping torsion. The out-of-plane deformations were primarily concentrated within a small region towards the ends of the flanges prior to the local buckling failures that were observed experimentally.Although reinforced concrete U-shaped walls are popular in construction practice internationally, there is a paucity of experimental research investigating the seismic performance of such salient elements. The present paper summarizes an experimental campaign on two slender U-shaped reinforced concrete walls detailed with a single-layer of reinforcement. State-of-the-art instrumentation was used to capture the three-dimensional displacement field of the wall surfaces using digital image correlation techniques. Experimental findings are presented, including strain profiles, equivalent plastic hinge lengths, longitudinal strains at the base, cracking distributions and widths, and out-of-plane deformations. The longitudinal strain profiles showed a yielding region up the boundary ends of the flanges of approximately 800 mm to 1200 mm in length, depending on the direction of loading and at large drift levels. Approximately half of the yielding zone length was found to be equal to the equivalent plastic hinge lengths, which were found to decrease as a function of drift. The longitudinal strains at the base of these walls showed some shear lag effects when subjected to in-plane or diagonal loading. For most directions of loading, the largest crack widths were found to be associated with flexural-shear or shear cracks. When subjected to a pure torque, the vertical strain distribution at the base of the wall correlated with the theoretical distribution for an open section governed by warping torsion. The out-of-plane deformations were primarily concentrated within a small region towards the ends of the flanges prior to the local buckling failures that were observed experimentally.