Firefighting methods and devices in the early stages of a fire in confined spaces is an actual problem (1). This problem is especially relevant in the field of microelectronics and electric power industry (2) , in particular in large-capacity energy storage devices (3) , batteries for electric vehicles and other devices where lithium-ion batteries (LIB) are used (4,5). The above articles indicate a large list of products subject to ignitionfrom small consumer electronics to large electric vehicles and airplanes. Although various safety devices have been incorporated into the commercial LIB cells, there have been numerous high-profile battery failure accidents, many of which caused significant adverse impacts for the cell manufacturers

The lateral-force-resisting systems (LFRSs) of many medium- to low-rise reinforced concrete (RC) buildings are composed of members that may be vulnerable to pre-emptive shear failures, depending on whether their shear strengths are sufficient to develop their flexural strengths (hereafter referred to as dual LFRSs). Therefore, such buildings have a lateral strength associated with the strengths of components, and the component strengths may be governed by both shear and flexure. At present, there is no effective way of assessing the relationship of component strengths between the shear and flexure of a RC building having a dual LFRS. Several studies have investigated the seismic performance of RC buildings controlled by both shear and flexure, but the scope of these studies was very limited and they focused mainly on analytical research. In this study, a series of pseudo-static reversed cyclic loading tests was conducted in the laboratory to investigate seismic performance in terms of the structural non-linear behaviour and lateral-force-resisting mechanism at the ultimate state of a dual LFRS. The results of this research provide fundamental information for the proposal of hysteresis characteristics and a practical guideline for evaluating the seismic performance of medium- to low-rise RC buildings comprising members failing in both shear and flexure.

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