Economical Steel Plate Shear Walls for Low-Seismic Regions: Fid-Bau Portal

Economical Steel Plate Shear Walls for Low-Seismic Regions

Moghimi, Hassan / Driver, Robert G.

Abstract

Previous research on steel plate shear walls (SPSWs) and current design codes have focused principally on achieving highly ductile behavior through stringent detailing requirements. As such, the system is generally considered to be economical only in high-seismic regions. However, lower demands in other regions may permit the use of more economical options. This paper describes a proposed concept for SPSWs that meets the intent of capacity design, while greatly improving competitiveness in seismic regions where maximum ductility is not required. A large-scale, 2-story SPSW specimen was tested to evaluate the associated performance. The wall had standard double-angle beam-to-column shear connections and was tested under vertical gravity load concurrent with reversing lateral loads at each floor level. The specimen survived 25 lateral load cycles, 18 of which were in the inelastic range. The test results indicated that excellent performance can be expected in low-seismic regions, despite significantly reduced costs, compared with traditional designs. The shear wall showed stable performance at large lateral deformation ratios with high levels of ductility and energy dissipation capacity.