Tsai R.-JHsu Y.-CHwang S.-J.SHYH-JIANN HWANG2022-03-222022-03-22202108893241https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85116758650&doi=10.14359%2f51732835&partnerID=40&md5=320af33cf7e8e7753ad9d50f49728c21https://scholars.lib.ntu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/598646Many residential buildings in Taiwan use reinforced concrete (RC) walls with openings; the stiffness and strength of the walls with openings greatly influence the structural seismic behaviors. Neglecting the lateral capacities of these RC walls with openings may cause mispredictions of seismic evaluation and may lose the economy of seismic retrofitting to low-rise buildings. To address this concern, this paper presents a prediction model of the lateral load-displacement curve of RC walls with openings in shear failure on the basis of the force-transfer mechanism. This model is applicable for cases where the openings create weak areas in the vertical wall segments. Test specimens of squat walls with aspect ratios less than 0.82 and a window opening at the center are selected for verification. A comparison of the skeleton curves from the prediction and experiments indicates that this model is reasonable and can be applied as an analytical model for practical use. ? 2021, American Concrete Institute.Force-transfer mechanismLoad-displacement curveShear failureVertical wall segmentWall with openingFailure (mechanical)ForecastingReinforced concreteSeismologyWalls (structural partitions)Force-transfer mechanismsLateral loadsReinforced concrete wallResidential buildingSeismic behaviourVertical wallAspect ratio[SDGs]SDG11journal article10.14359/517328352-s2.0-85116758650