Recommendations for Seismic Design of Reinforced Concrete Wall Buildings Based on Studies of the 2010 Maule, Chile Earthquake

Published

March 14, 2014

Author(s)

Joseph Maffei, Patricio Bonelli, Dominic Kelly, Dawn E. Lehman, Laura Lowes, Jack Moehle, Karl Telleen, John Wallace, Michael Willford

Abstract

Most mid-rise and high-rise buildings in the earthquake-affected regions were constructed with seismic-force-resisting systems consisting of reinforced concrete structural walls. Similar construction is also prevalent in regions of high seismicity in the Western United States. In response to the earthquake, several U.S. organizations sent reconnaissance teams to Chile to gather information that could be used to study implications for U.S. design and construction practice. The purpose of this project was to evaluate critical issues in the performance of reinforced concrete wall structures in the 2010 Maule earthquake, and to develop recommendations for improved shear wall design requirements for incorporation into U.S. practice. Work on this project involved: (1) the collection of available reconnaissance information to identify trends in concrete building performance; (2) the conduct of focused studies on key issues including bar buckling and concrete crushing in wall boundary elements, overall wall buckling behaviors, discontinuities in building configuration, and advanced simulation techniques for concrete walls; and (3) interpretation of results for improvement in U.S. practice.

Citation

Grant/Contract Reports (NISTGCR) - 14-917-25

Report Number

14-917-25

NIST Pub Series

Grant/Contract Reports (NISTGCR)

Pub Type

NIST Pubs

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Keywords

NEHRP Consultants Joint Venture, ATC, Reinforced Concrete Buildings, Earthquake Engineering

Citation

Maffei, J. , Bonelli, P. , Kelly, D. , Lehman, D. , Lowes, L. , Moehle, J. , Telleen, K. , Wallace, J. and Willford, M. (2014), Recommendations for Seismic Design of Reinforced Concrete Wall Buildings Based on Studies of the 2010 Maule, Chile Earthquake, Grant/Contract Reports (NISTGCR), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=916206 (Accessed October 9, 2025)