Abstract
The current practice is to use reinforced concrete inclined column transfer structures (RC-ICTS) to support short-leg shear walls whose sections have height-to-thickness ratios of less than 8. In view of supporting upper traditional shear walls whose sections have height-to-thickness ratios greater than 8 and improving the seismic performance of RC-ICTS, this study focuses on the investigation of the steel-reinforced concrete inclined column transfer structure (SRC-ICTS). Firstly, tests involving the constant axial load and horizontal cyclic load were performed. In the testing of the three specimens, the transfer beam was damaged seriously due to shear failure, so that the non-elastic deformation of the section steel in the middle of the transfer beam was large, dissipating the external input energy effectively. The test and finite element model (FEM) results partly agree with each other, indicating that the bond-slip mechanism between the section steel and concrete has a minimal influence on the seismic performance of the SRC-ICTS. Then, by focusing on the engineering application, the FEMs of the SRC-ICTS specimens with different axial force ratios were established without considering the bond-slip mechanism. The findings on seismic performance indicate that the ultimate bearing capacity can be improved by increasing the axial force ratio; however, the energy dissipation capacity and ductility of the SRC-ICTS decrease when the axial force ratio is extremely high. The axial force ratio of SRC-ICTS is proposed to be less than 0.4 to ensure good seismic performance.