Experimental And Numerical Assessment Of Rc Shear Walls With Openings

Abstract

Reinforced concrete (RC) shear walls are widely employed as the principal lateral load-resisting system in mid- 
and high-rise buildings, yet architectural requirements for doors, windows, ducts and service penetrations 
frequently necessitate openings that compromise wall continuity. This study presents an empirical investigation 
into the structural performance of RC shear walls containing five opening configurations-solid (no opening), 
central opening, eccentric opening, coupled (double) opening and diagonal opening-subjected to monotonic and 
cyclic lateral loading. Six wall specimens at 1:3 scale were cast, instrumented and tested under displacement
controlled lateral loading in a laboratory reaction frame, with additional validation performed using nonlinear 
finite element models calibrated against the experimental data. Quantitative data were collected for peak lateral 
load capacity, initial and secant stiffness, drift ratio at yield and ultimate stages, energy dissipation per cycle, 
and crack propagation patterns. The results, summarised across five tabulated datasets, demonstrate that central 
openings reduce peak lateral strength by approximately 34 percent and initial stiffness by 41 percent relative to 
the solid wall, while diagonally placed openings produce the most severe stiffness degradation due to diagonal 
tension discontinuity. Coupled openings with connecting coupling beams partially restore ductility through frame 
action, achieving 78 percent of the solid wall's energy dissipation capacity. Statistical correlation analysis 
(Pearson r = -0.87) confirms a strong inverse relationship between opening area ratio and lateral stiffness. These 
findings, consistent with and extending prior numerical studies, provide empirically grounded design guidance 
for practitioners on opening placement, boundary reinforcement detailing and coupling beam proportioning, 
directly supporting the study's objective of establishing a quantitative, data-driven basis for predicting shear wall 
performance under realistic architectural constraints