Experimental study of the hysteretic behaviour of corrugated steel plate shear walls and steel plate reinforced concrete composite shear walls

Abstract

To examine the seismic performance of steel plate shear walls (SPSWs) and the corresponding steel plate reinforced concrete composite shear walls (SPCSWs), six 1:2 scale shear wall specimens (flat, vertical and horizontal corrugated SPSWs and the corresponding SPCSWs) are tested. The deformation capacity and failure modes of the specimens under cyclic loading are studied. The force–displacement hysteretic curves, envelope curves, bearing capacity and displacement values at various stages are obtained. The failure characteristics, deformation and energy dissipation capacity and the stiffness and the characteristics of degradation of the bearing capacity are analysed, and the design formulas of the shearing capacity of corrugated SPSWs and the corrugated SPCSWs are also proposed. The test results indicate that the lateral stiffness, ductility and energy dissipation capacity of composite shear walls are all better than those of the SPSWs. The lateral force bearing capacity of flat steel plate, vertical corrugated and horizontal corrugated SPCSW are 176%, 92%, 41% higher than that of the corresponding SPSWs, respectively. The displacement ductility coefficient of flat steel plate, vertical corrugated steel plate and horizontal corrugated steel plate composite wall is 1.86, 1.6 and 1.83 times higher than that of corresponding SPSWs, respectively. Due to the mechanical constraints that concrete applies to steel, the initial stiffness of composite shear walls is considerably higher than that of SPSWs.