Reliability of displacement capacity prediction models for reinforced concrete block shear walls

Reinforced concrete block (masonry) shear wall construction presents an economic solution for seismic resistant low- and mid-rise buildings throughout North America. In this respect, wall displacements are output, based on wall characteristics, when force-based seismic design approaches are used. In displacement-based seismic design approaches, however, target displacements are the key input needed for wall design. As large displacement demands develop within the building seismic force resisting systems (SFRS), inelastic strain, curvature, and rotation demands are expected within specific wall zones, idealized as equivalent plastic hinges. In this study, eight different models are utilized to predict the maximum displacement capacities of reinforced concrete block shear walls (RCBSW). The experimental results of 81 RCBSW have been used to evaluate the reliability of the eight models. According to the analysis performed in this study, none of the eight models was found to be reliable in terms of predicting the maximum displacement capacity when compared to the corresponding experimental results. In an attempt to further improve the predictability of these models, calibration coefficients are introduced and the corresponding improved results are re-assessed. Based on its better capability of capturing the experimental results, one of these calibrated models is selected to further investigate the influence of altering the wall design characteristics on their maximum displacement capacities. Overall, this study aims at improving RCBSW-SFRS displacement capacity prediction models, thus contributing to the efforts towards adopting displacement-based design provisions in future seismic codes.