Cyclic Performance of Reinforced Concrete Walls with NiTi Reinforcement: A Numerical Investigation

Abstract Shape memory alloys (SMAs) are a promising new material for reinforcing concrete structures to sustain severe lateral loads. Their excellent shape recovery after significant strain makes them very attractive for seismic applications compared with ordinary steel. Nickel-titanium alloy (NiTi) is one of the most common types of shape memory alloy (SMA). In the current paper, a numerical analysis is conducted to evaluate the behavior of hybrid NiTi-reinforced concrete shear wall compared to an ordinary wall subjected to lateral cyclic displacement. The enhancement in shear wall capacities is investigated in terms of hysteretic behavior, wall ductility, and inter-story drift ratio. Therefore, three-dimensional modelling utilizing ANSYS 19 is conducted to examine the influences of numerous parameters, such as NiTi reinforcement ratio, loading direction, number of loads cycles stirrups spacing, and axial load intensity. The results showed that the NiTi-Wall exhibited a maximum displacement capacity, which is increased by an average of 38.5%. Additionally, it displayed the greatest ductility and drift capacity, with average increases of 15% and 20.8%, respectively, compared to ordinary walls. As the number of load cycles increased, NiTi bars demonstrated a significant improvement in drift capacity, with an average increase of 27.5%.