LAUSR

Abstract Prefabricated reinforced concrete (PC) shear walls are widely used because of their convenience of construction. Diverse forms of wall joints for assembling precast shear walls were studied in the recent decade. However, during the assembly of mutually perpendicular precast shear walls, it is difficult to satisfy joint strength requirements. In this study, an H-shaped Shear Key (HSK) with welding connections was proposed for the connection of mutually perpendicular precast shear walls. Quasi-static cyclic loadings were conducted to test the seismic properties of HSK specimens with different welding configurations. The strength, energy dissipation capacity and fatigue properties of specimens were compared. Image measurement was adopted to measure the damage patterns and crack dimensions. The test results validated the effectiveness of the HSK specimens and appropriate configurations of HSKs are recommended for practical engineering applications.