During the last few decades, several advantages of concrete wall housing have been identified when compared with masonry houses located in high hazard seismic zones; for instance, higher lateral stiffness and strength, and higher ductility capacity. Therefore, construction of lowrise housing units using reinforced concrete shear walls has become a preferred choice and consequently, its use has increased considerably in many Latin American countries. The aim of this study is to experimentally assess the strains on steel reinforcement of concrete walls for lowrise housing when subjected to seismic actions. The experimental program was comprised of six concrete wall specimens tested under shake table excitations. An efficiency factor was used to reflect the amount of wall reinforcement at yielding. Trends of measured results were compared with the recommendations proposed by the ACI 318-11 Building Code. Results of this study can be used as a suitable tool to evaluate the contribution of reinforcement to the shear strength and displacement capacity of concrete walls for lowrise housing.
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