Behavior of precast ferrocement thin walls under cyclic loading: an experimental and analytical study

Thin ferrocement walls are the structural elements that comprise the earthquake resistant system of housing built with this material. This article presents the results drawn from an experimental campaign carried out over full-scale precast ferrocement thin walls, which were assessed under cyclic loading conditions. The tests assessed the strength of the walls, their hysteretic behavior, ductility, energy dissipation, equivalent damping, their coefficient of energy dissipation and their characteristic failure mode when subjected to cyclic loading conditions. Finally, an analytical model that modeled the nonlinear dynamic behavior exhibited by ferrocement walls was implemented; its feasibility and potential use in earthquake resistant design of ferrocement walls was evaluated