Performance based evaluation of RC coupled shear wall system with steel coupling beam

Steel coupling beam in reinforced concrete (RC) coupled shear wall system is a proper substitute for deep concrete coupling beam. Previous studies have shown that RC coupled walls with steel or concrete coupling beam designed with strength-based design approach, may not guarantee a ductile behavior of a coupled shear wall system. Therefore, seismic performance evaluation of RC coupled shear wall with steel or concrete coupling beam designed based on a strength-based design approach is essential. In this paper first, buildings with 7, 14 and 21 stories containing RC coupled shear wall system with concrete and steel coupling beams were designed with strength-based design approach, then performance level of these buildings were evaluated under two spectrum; Design Basis Earthquake (DBE) and Maximum Considered Earthquake (MCE). The performance level of LS and CP of all buildings were satisfied under DBE and MCE respectively. In spite of the steel coupling beam, concrete coupling beam in RC coupled shear wall acts like a fuse under strong ground motion.