Abstract
Some results of experimental investigation conducted to assess the effect of cement composite strength and ductility on the shear behavior and crack-damage mitigation of stud connections between existing reinforced concrete frame in school buildings and seismic strengthening elements from cyclically direct shear tests are described. The cement composite strengths include 50 for medium strength and 70 MPa for high strength. Two types of cement composites, strain-hardening cement composite (SHCC) and non-shrinkage mortar, are used for stud shear connection specimens. The special SHCCs are reinforced with hybrid 0.2% polyethylene (PE) and 1.3% polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers at the volume fraction and exhibits tensile strain capacity ranging from 0.2 to 0.5%. Test result indicates that SHCC improves the seismic performance and crack-damage mitigation of stud shear connections compared with stud connections with non-shrinkage mortar. However, the performance enhancement in SHCC stud connections with transverse and longitudinal reinforcements is less notable for those without additional reinforcement.