Finite element analysis of rectangular and flanged steel‐concrete shear walls under cyclic loading

Abstract

SummaryThe seismic performance of steel‐plate concrete (SC) shear walls is numerically investigated for various SC wall geometrical shapes. Steel faceplates and infill concrete are two main components of SC walls; a full connection between steel and concrete is required for composite action. A comprehensive set of SC wall specimens with different cross‐sectional shapes and geometrical properties were tested in the literature for evaluating their seismic behavior. The numerical responses of 17 tested SC walls, including rectangular, T‐shaped, and flanged walls, isolated and coupled walls, with and without boundary elements and endplates, subjected to cyclic lateral loading and a wide range of axial load ratio from 0.065 to 0.4, are evaluated using a finite element‐based software, LS‐DYNA. The predicted force‐displacement diagrams, failure modes, and damping ratios of the finite element models reasonably match the test observations. Also, three main analysis and design issues are evaluated, including the effect of coefficient of friction between concrete and steel faceplates, the effect of modeling pullout of shear studs from the concrete on the global response of SC walls, and the importance of the presence of shear studs and tie rods and the possible changes that may happen by changing the connector spacing to faceplate thickness ratio.