Seismic behavior of coupled steel plate shear walls with simple boundary frame connections

Abstract

SummaryThe coupled steel plate shear wall (C‐SPSW) configuration has been investigated by researchers as a means of improving the overturning stiffness and architectural flexibility of SPSW structures. While C‐SPSWs have been shown to exhibit excellent seismic performance, the fabrication cost associated with the high number of moment‐resisting connections used in such systems is a potential detraction to their use as an economical solution. Past research has shown that the hysteresis response of SPSWs with simple frame connections is significantly pinched, and as such, most seismic codes prohibit their use in high seismic areas. However, when used in the C‐SPSW configuration, a dual system is formed in which the coupling beams not only improve resistance to overturning but also provide substantial lateral strength and energy dissipation capacity. This paper presents an exploration of the potential to improve the economy of C‐SPSWs by using the simple boundary frame connections. First, employing the principles of plastic analysis, an attempt is made to quantify the contribution of the coupling beams to the overall lateral load resistance of the system. Then, to evaluate the seismic performance of such C‐SPSW systems and allow for the comparison with that of the C‐SPSWs with rigid frames, several prototypes are designed and analyzed using a series of nonlinear response history and pushover analyses. The results indicated that the C‐SPSWs with simple boundary frames exhibited satisfactory seismic performance comparable with that of the C‐SPSWs with rigid frames under both the 10/50 and 2/50 hazard levels, while allowing for reduced fabrication costs.