Numerical and experimental analysis of an innovative lightweight precast concrete wall

•An innovative lightweight precast concrete bracing/bearing wall is presented.•Non-linear analysis with damage-sensitive crush-crack 2D elements is performed.•The influence of different reinforcement arrangements is investigated.•The accuracy of a non-linear beam model of the wall is assessed.•A comparison is made with results from full-scale prototype pseudo-dynamic tests. A series of non-linear structural analyses is presented in this paper, aimed at investigating the structural behaviour of an innovative light-weight precast concrete wall system made with discretely connected moduli. A model with 2D damage-sensitive elements has been used to investigate the axial and flexural behaviour of a case study wall element. The numerical analyses allow to estimate the crack pattern and to define monotonic capacity curves. The effect of different reinforcement schemes on the structural behaviour of the wall has been also investigated and an innovative solution has been also proposed on the basis of the results, to increase the ductility of a heavily shear-reinforced wall when subjected to seismic action. The numerical results obtained with the 2D damage model have been compared with those of a simplified non-linear beam model. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the simplified model in catching the dynamic non-linear behaviour of the element has been validated with respect to the results from pseudo-dynamic tests performed at the ELSA/JRC laboratory of Ispra (Italy) in the framework of the Safecast project on a full scale prototype of a multi-storey precast building braced by the walls under investigation.