Influence of Lap Splices on the Deformation Capacity of RC Walls. I: Database Assembly, Recent Experimental Data, and Findings for Model Development

Recent postearthquake missions have shown that reinforced concrete (RC) wall buildings can experience critical damage owing to lap splices, which led to a recent surge in experimental tests of walls with such constructional details. Most of the 16 wall tests described in the literature thus far were carried out in the last six years. This paper presents a database with these wall tests, including the description of a new test on a wall with lap splices and a corresponding reference wall with continuous reinforcement. They complement the existing tests by investigating a spliced member with a shear span ratio smaller than two, which is the smallest among them. The objective of this database is to collect information not just on the force capacity but mainly on the deformation capacity of lap splices in reinforced concrete walls. It is shown that (1) well-confined lap splices relocate the plastic hinge above the lap splice, (2) lap splices with adequate lengths but insufficiently confined attain the peak force but their deformation capacity is significantly reduced, and (3) short and not well-confined lap splices fail before reaching the strength capacity. The analysis of the test results, which are used in the companion paper for the finite element analysis of walls with lap splices, indicates in particular that the confining reinforcement ratio and the ratio of shear span to lap splice length influence the lap splice strain capacity.