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Behavior of Earthquake-Resistant Rectangular Walls with Mechanically Spliced Grade 100 Steel Bars
Neupane, Utsav Lequesne, Rémy D. Lepage, Andrés Darwin, David
Neupane, Utsav
Lequesne, Rémy D.
Lepage, Andrés
Darwin, David
Abstract
Three large-scale reinforced concrete (RC) rectangular slender structural walls were subjected to cyclic displacement demands to establish whether, and under what conditions, mechanical splices can be used with Grade 100 (690) bars where yielding is expected.
These tests were conducted because ACI 318-19 prohibits both lap splices and mechanical splices for high-strength longitudinal
reinforcement (Grade 80 [550] and higher) in special structural walls where yielding is expected. Three mechanical splices were
used that differed in connection type (one type per wall) and overall splice length. All longitudinal bars were mechanically spliced
starting 2 in. (50 mm) from the wall base. Mechanical splices satisfying the specified minimum tensile strength criterion of ACI
318-19 Type 2 mechanical splices resulted in better wall behavior than reported for lap splices, but satisfying Type 2 requirements
alone did not prevent bar fractures at the mechanical splice. Thus, Type 2 mechanical splice requirements are not recommended as the sole qualification criteria where yielding is expected. Test results also showed that mechanical splices with a strength not less than
the actual bar tensile strength, such that bars systematically fail in direct tension tests away from the splice and therefore develop their actual uniform elongation, perform well and are recommended for use where yielding is expected in special structural walls.
Description
Date
2025-11-01
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
American Concrete Institute
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Research Projects
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Keywords
Couplers, Drift ratio capacity, Earthquake resistant walls, High-strength reinforcement (HSR), Mechanical splices, Shear walls, Uniform elongation
Citation
Neupane, U., Lequesne, R. D., Lepage, A., & Darwin, D., (2025). Behavior of Earthquake-Resistant Rectangular Walls with Mechanically-Spliced Grade 100 Steel Bars, ACI Structural Journal, 122(6), 155-167. doi: 10.14359/51746822