Design procedure for earthquake-resistant innovative hybrid coupled shear walls

An innovative earthquake resistant hybrid coupled shear wall (HCSW) system is presented. The system is obtained coupling a reinforced concrete wall with two side steel columns connected by means of steel links at each floor. A significant part of the overturning moment is resisted by an axial compression - tension couple developed by the two side steel columns while almost all the horizontal shear and only a fraction of the overturning moment are resisted by the wall. The reinforced concrete wall is conceived to undergo limited damage and the steel links connected to the wall are the main dissipative elements and are easily replaceable. Such hybrid system might represent a cost- and time-effective type of construction since simple beam-to-column connections could be used for the steel frame constituting the gravity-resisting part and traditional and well-known building techniques are required for the reinforced concrete and steel components.