Seismic performance of corrugated steel plate shear walls under various constraint conditions

Abstract

Corrugated steel plate shear walls (CSPSWs) support vertical or horizontal corrugated plates attached to boundary frames through two- or four-sided connections. While two-sided constraints offer better applicability and convenience, this study aims to investigate the seismic behavior of CSPSWs with both two- and four-sided constraints. The investigation considers the coupling effects of direction, aspect ratio, thickness, and axial compression ratio. The study analyzes hysteresis curves, capacity characteristics, stiffness, ductility, and energy consumption for various failure modes. The results indicate that two-sided-constrained specimens exhibit lower mechanical properties compared to four-sided-constrained specimens, especially the initial stiffness. However, both constraint types show X-shaped tension fields diagonally along the CSP under low-cycle reciprocating loading. The horizontal and vertical directions of the corrugated plates have no significant impact on the seismic performance of the four-sided-constrained system, whereas they directly affect the stiffness and lateral load of the two-sided-constrained system. Additionally, an increase in plate thickness results in greater design requirements, particularly for surrounding frame members. Furthermore, when the axial compression ratio does not exceed 0.4, the specimen exhibits good seismic performance and energy dissipation capacity.