Seismic behavior of S22053-Q355 double-skin mid-rise sandwich composite wall

Addressing the deficiencies of conventional walls of nuclear reactor plant pools in terms of construction efficiency and corrosion durability, this study proposes a novel S22053-Q355 double-skin mid-rise sandwich composite wall, which utilizes single-sided S22053 duplex stainless steel to achieve integrated load-bearing and anti-corrosion functionalities. Since current standards lack specific provisions for stainless steel as a load-bearing component in composite shear walls, particularly for the configuration of asymmetric steel plates, low cyclic loading tests were carried out on specimens designed in accordance with GB/T 51340. With steel plate type, shear connector spacing, and working temperature adopted as test variables, this research investigates the seismic behavior of the proposed composite wall and verifies the applicability of existing standard calculation methods. The experimental results indicate that the proposed S22053-Q355 double-skin mid-rise sandwich composite wall exhibits favorable seismic performance. When the spacing of shear connectors complies with the limits specified in current standards, the construction arrangement specified in current standards can guarantee cooperative working performance between the steel plates and the encased concrete. The bearing capacity calculation method specified in GB/T 51340 cannot accurately predict the measured peak load of the test specimens. Accordingly, this study proposes a modified flexural bearing capacity calculation method based on JGJ/T 380, and the calculated results obtained from the modified method show good agreement with the experimental results.