Hybrid-coupled walls with replaceable shear links: Experimental study of link-to-wall subsystems

Abstract

Hybrid-coupled wall systems are a type of structural solutions that can be configured to achieve ductile seismic dissipation and enhanced post-earthquake repairability in buildings located in regions of moderate-high seismicity. In such systems, reinforced concrete or steel-concrete composite shear walls provide lateral stiffness and strength, while energy dissipation is concentrated in steel components designed to be replaceable after seismic events. This paper presents an experimental investigation on a novel hybrid-coupled wall system incorporating externally mounted, replaceable steel seismic links as dissipative components. The proposed configuration consists of a reinforced concrete or composite shear wall connected to adjacent steel columns through short steel links designed to yield in shear. The link-to-wall connection is detailed as moment-resisting to ensure force transfer and enforce the intended shear yielding mechanism in the link, while the simple link-to-column connection is configured to facilitate disassembly and replacement. A comprehensive experimental programme comprising monotonic and cyclic tests was conducted on subsystems to assess the overall response, the hysteretic behaviour, the damage localization and the connection performance. The results demonstrate stable hysteretic response with inelastic deformations effectively confined to the replaceable links, while the walls, boundary columns, and connection regions remain elastic. No degradation or unintended damage was observed outside the predefined dissipative components. The findings provide experimental evidence that hybrid-coupled walls with replaceable steel links can achieve controlled and predictable seismic response together with postearthquake repairability, using a simplified dissipative strategy, and constitute a viable alternative for steelconcrete composite lateral load-resisting systems.