| Summary: | Within a building constructed mostly of solid tilt-up panels, the strength and inelastic response of wall systems is almost entirely controlled by the connections since solid wall panels are inherently stiff and strong. Currently system design is done without designing for either a sliding or overturning mechanism to form, and connection design to resist each of these mechanisms are done independently of one another. Designers add connections between two or more walls panels to increase the rocking resistance of the system, and add connections between wall panels and the base slab to provided horizontal sliding resistance without considering how each of these remedies may influence the other. Since vertical uplift resistance of the panel – slab connectors is ignored in design, any vertical load capacity they have will further increase the shear load transferred through the panel – panel connectors, causing them fail earlier than expected. Also if rocking does occur the vertical damage may decrease the shear carrying capacity of the panel – slab connectors. The inelastic response of the panel – slab connector and the interactions between vertical damage and horizontal response properties are key elements to the overall system response and therefore must be determined.
This study seeks to experimentally determine the detailed response of the connectors. This was done by first obtaining the vertical uplift response since previous testing conducted on tilt-up connectors only focused on the horizontal shear response as well as the horizontal “tension” pullout. Next a series of test were conducted to determine the horizontal shear response at various levels of vertical damage ranging from no vertical damage to damage levels approaching failure. This allowed for detailed interaction relationships to be determined between the vertical damage level and the horizontal shear response properties, including horizontal strength, stiffness and displacement capacity.
This connector response data was then used in a pushover model to predict multi-panel system responses for solid panel systems using connection configurations commonly used in industry. These responses are studied to compare the predicted levels of seismic ductility and strength achieved using the pushover model to values designers are expecting to achieve using current design techniques. It also allows for the influence the system connection configurations have on the response properties to be studied. Although further research is required which includes panels with openings, and out of plane influences, the information gained in this study is used to suggest ways to improve the efficiency of the system using current connectors, as well as suggest properties which new connectors could posses to create a more ideal system response. === Applied Science, Faculty of === Civil Engineering, Department of === Graduate
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