Title:
Low-Rise Reinforced Concrete Walls with Lap Splices: Cyclic Behavior and Implications on Seismic Design and Assessment (Open Source)
Author(s):
Milan Kovarbasic, Diego Pizarro Pohl, and Bozidar Stojadinovic
Publication:
Structural Journal
Volume:
123
Issue:
5
Appears on pages(s):
149-163
Keywords:
deformation capacity; lap splice; pier wall; quasi-static cyclic (QSC) test; reinforced concrete (RC) wall; rocking; seismic behavior
DOI:
10.14359/51750586
Date:
9/1/2026
Abstract:
The influence of lap splices on the seismic behavior of low-rise reinforced concrete (RC) walls was studied through tests of four 1:2 length-scale bridge pier wall specimens subjected to constant axial load and quasi-static cyclic loading sequence. The study parameters were horizontal reinforcement ratio (0.25 to 0.34%), splice length-shear span ratio (≈ 0.2 to 0.3), and wall-end confinement. Specimens lost 20% of maximum lateral strength at drifts between approximately 1.2% and 1.8%, increasing with horizontal reinforcement ratio, wall-end confinement, and splice length-shear span ratio. Splice failure, bar fracture, or their combination, caused abrupt strength loss and transition from flexure- to rocking-controlled behavior. Flexure-compression failure in the specimen with a splice length-shear span ratio of approximately 0.3 resulted in gradual strength degradation without transition to rocking. All specimens sustained drift demands of almost 2% without loss of axial load-carrying capacity.
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