Buckling-restrained Steel Plate Shear Wall Research Articles

Monitoring of interface separation damage in buckling-restrained steel plate shear walls using piezoelectric based smart aggregates under cyclic loading

Interface debonding damage is a critical issue for many prefabricated concrete components. Various studies have employed different methods to detect debonding behaviors and provided quantitative damage indexes. In this paper, we propose a novel monitoring approach for detecting interface debonding damage in Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) panel-restrained composite steel plate shear walls (SPSWs) using piezoelectric ceramics (PZT). Four SPSWs were designed with different types of concrete, steel plate thicknesses, and bolt arrangements for the cyclic loading experiment. Energy data was collected for time-domain and wavelet packet analysis. The root mean square deviation (RMSD) was then calculated to provide a quantitative damage index for the specimens. The highest damage indices for each specimen were 0.770, 0.963, 0.988, and 1, respectively, which corresponded well with the actual damage scenarios. The experiments verified that using PZT can accurately monitor debonding damage in SPSWs.

Cyclic test and analysis of UHTCC‐enhanced buckling‐restrained steel plate shear walls

AbstractThe ultra‐high toughness cementitious composite (UHTCC) has the tensile strain‐hardening characteristic and an excellent ability to prevent tensile cracking. To enhance the seismic and durability performance of the conventional buckling‐restrained steel plate shear wall (BRSPSW), UHTCC‐enhanced BRSPSW (UBRSPSW) was proposed in this paper as a new type of lateral bearing system. The buckling of the inner steel plate is restrained by UHTCC‐normal concrete (NC) functionally graded panels, where the panels are composed of UHTCC and NC layers. In this study, experimental and numerical research was carried out on the UBRSPSWs. Six specimens were tested to investigate the seismic behavior of the UBRSPSW. Parameters including the number of stiffeners, the thickness of UHTCC‐NC functionally graded panels, the material of restraining panels, and the gap between the inner steel plate and restraining panels were considered in the test design. Mechanical response and failure modes of the structures under cyclic loads were analyzed. The obtained hysteretic curves and corresponding skeleton curves indicated that the proposed design had excellent seismic performance. Compared to the steel plate shear wall (SPSW), the load‐bearing capacity of UBRSPSW was improved by 13%, respectively. The appearance of macrocracks was delayed by a drift angle of 1.2%. In addition, a refined finite element (FE) model was developed and validated by the results obtained from experiments. The development and distribution of bending moments in the restraining panels were extracted based on the FE method. Then, the loading capacity design method of restraining panels and a theoretical model for controlling the crack width of restraining panels were proposed. The research results of this paper can provide useful suggestions for the seismic design of UBRSPSWs.

Out-of-plane interactive behavior and design of novel T-hooked buckling-restrained steel plate shear walls

To eliminate the use of a large number of connecting bolts for the cover panels in conventional buckling-restrained steel plate shear walls (BRSPSWs), T-hooked BRSPSW was proposed by using T-sectional stiffeners for restraining the out-of-plane deformation of the cover panels. With larger-sized flexural cover panels that provide confinement effects to the infilled steel plate, the out-of-plane interactive behavior between the infilled steel plate and each cover panel is greatly concerned for safe designs of the T-hooked BRSPSW. In this paper, a refined finite element (FE) model was established for evaluating the out-of-plane restraining effects in the T-hooked BRSPSW. The key parameters affecting the high-order buckling modes of the infilled steel plate were analyzed. The average spacing between adjacent buckling half-waves varied from 0.15 to 0.7 times the height of the steel sub-plate across common parameter ranges. Furthermore, a formula that estimates the total extrusion force produced by the buckled steel plate was corrected. By simplifying the cover panels into one-way flexural plates under uniform force, a flexural moment amplification coefficient in the range of 1.11 − 9.74 was defined to consider the difference between the actual strip-shaped interaction forces and the simplified model. Finally, a formula to calculate the bending moment of cover panels was proposed to safely design the T-hooked BRSPSWs.

Seismic behaviors of CFT-column frame-four-corner bolted connected buckling-restrained steel plate shear walls using ALC/RAC panels

A Frame-Buckling Restrained Steel Plate Shear Walls (BRSPSWs) system has been designed, featuring a steel plate connected to frame elements, to withstand lateral loads like seismic or wind forces. This system incorporates recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) to create concrete-filled and concrete panels, promoting eco-friendly and sustainable construction materials. Two single-span, two-floor specimens were tested under cyclic quasi-static load. A four-corner bolted connection was used to connect the steel plate to the square concrete-filled steel tubes (CFTs) column and H-section beam, minimizing the potential deformation of the frame elements produced by the tension field of the steel plate after high-order bucking. The steel plate was sandwiched using either autoclaved lightweight concrete (ALC) or RAC panels. The study analyzed failure modes, load-displacement responses, and characteristic capacities. Test results inferred that BRSPSWs exhibited favorable cyclic behavior, with similar failure modes observed using both ALC and RAC panels. The buckling of steel plates was reduced, and the type of restrained panels had a negligible impact on buckling. Consequently, ALC panels can effectively replace RAC panels. Furthermore, bearing capacities and yield stiffness were primarily determined by the bolted connection forms. A finite element (FE) modeling was developed using ABAQUS software and validated against test results. This FE modeling method successfully simulated failure modes and load-displacement curves. Parametric analyses were conducted and revealed that bearing capacity and yield stiffness positively correlated with steel plate thickness, bolt diameter, and the number of bolts but negatively correlated with the axial compression ratio. In contrast, the panel thickness and span length had a minor impact due to shear deformation in the bolted connection. Based on the test results and parametric studies, an equation for the yield-bearing capacity of BRSPSWs was proposed and verified.

Experimental investigation on the seismic behavior of composite steel plate shear wall restrained by ECC panels

The composite structures using engineered cementitious composites (ECC) and steel are promising to achieve good seismic performance due to their excellent deformability and energy dissipation. This paper proposed a novel composite steel plate shear wall restrained by ECC panels. The shear wall system consists of boundary frame, steel plate and precast ECC panels. The steel plate is sandwiched between two precast ECC panels by bolts. Then, the sandwich panel is bolted to the boundary frame by angle steels. Experimental investigation was conducted on the proposed composite shear walls to evaluate their seismic performance. Five one-story one-span specimens with ECC panels considering the effects of panel-frame connection types, reinforcement ratio in ECC panels and aspect ratio were tested, as well as a control specimen with concrete panels. Test results revealed that compared with ordinary buckling-restrained steel plate shear wall, the proposed composite shear walls displayed sufficient ductility, high initial stiffness and satisfactory energy dissipated capacity. Severe cracking and spalling of concrete panels were detected, while the ECC panels still maintained integrity and had high residual strength in the later stage of loading. ECC panels made a considerable contribution to shear resistance in addition to effectively restraining the buckling of the steel plate. In comparison with the specimen using partial four-side connection, the shear capacity, initial lateral stiffness and accumulated dissipated energy of the specimen using four-side connection were notably enhanced by 103%, 22.8% and 108%, respectively. Moreover, using two-side connection weakened the shear capacity and initial lateral stiffness of the specimen by 29.4% and 29.8%, because it could not exhibit complete shear and tension field actions as the specimen using four-side connection.

Shear resistance design of semi-supported buckling-restrained steel plate shear walls: Analytical and numerical investigation

Buckling-restrained steel plate shear wall (BRSPSW) rises as an excellent energy-dissipating lateral force-resisting component. Semi-supported BRSPSW is more flexible in structural configuration than the conventional BRSPSW owing to its independent vertical boundary elements (VBEs). In this paper, the shear resistance and the VBEs effect of the semi-supported BRSPSW were studied by the analytical and numerical methods. A simplified model was developed for simulating the semi-supported BRSPSWs. A minimum sectional area of the VBEs, namely, Acr was suggested for the BRSPSW to fully develop its shear field. Meanwhile, the ultimate shear resistance formula of the semi-supported BRSPSW was proposed. Furthermore, a general finite element (FE) model of the BRSPSWs with two-sided, semi-supported, and four-sided connections was established and applied for parametric analyses. It was found that the semi-supported BRSPSW under the shear could be divided into one middle region with the shear field and two vertical edge regions with local stress fields. The edge regions acted as the additional VBEs for the middle region, whose span decreased with the rise in the sectional area of the VBEs, i.e, secondary columns. The hysteretic behavior of the BRSPSW could be improved by increasing the sectional area of the VBEs when the section area of the VBEs was smaller than Acr. The shear field could be utilized more efficiently in the semi-supported BRSPSW with a larger sectional area of the VBEs and a higher span-to-height ratio of the steel plate. Finally, the equations for predicting the ultimate shear resistance and shear field distribution of the BRSPSW were verified by the test and FE results.

Seismic behavior of concrete-filled steel tubes column frame-buckling restrained steel plate shear walls connected with bolt/weld

In this study, a buckling restrained steel plate shear wall (BRSPSW) system, consisting of a steel plate linked to frame elements using a double-sides connection bolt/weld and sandwiched by autoclaved lightweight concrete (ALC) panels, was designed to resist the lateral load. Concrete-filled steel tubes (CFTs) and H-section beams were adopted to build the vertical and horizontal frame elements. Three single-bay, two-floor specimens were tested under lateral cyclic load. Besides, this study offered an eco-friendly and sustainable application for recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) as concrete infills. The hysteretic load–displacement response associated with failure patterns was deeply reported and analyzed. The three tested specimens were evaluated based on characteristic capacities. The experimental outcomes demonstrated that all specimens have excellent cyclic performance, and buckling of the steel plates was significantly reduced using bolts connection. Although yield-bearing capacity and stiffness with weld connection were relatively higher than with bolt connection, the peak-bearing capacity was almost the same with bolt or weld. In addition, the ductility, energy consumption, and displacement characteristics were improved using bolts compared with weld. Finite element (FE) models were generated and verified to analyze out-of-displacement and equivalent plastic strain. Based on validated FE models, parametric analyses were performed to examine the impact of five crucial parameters on characteristic capacities. The parametric studies presented considerable indications for the seismic behavior of BRSPSWs. The findings of this study serve as a valuable point of reference for the implementation of engineering applications.

Shear capacity prediction of buckling-restrained SPSWs with beam-connected only using response surface method

The cold-formed steel (CFS) buckling-restrained steel plate shear walls (BRSPSW) with beam-connected only have the characteristics of avoiding additional force on the frame column, flexible arrangement and excellent seismic performance, and can also facilitate the realization of the building function of heat preservation and sound insulation. This study aims to investigate the cyclic shear behaviour of CFS BRSPSW with beam-connected only experimentally and numerically. Firstly, two 1:3 scale specimens were designed and tested. The experimental results showed that the CFS BRSPSW with beam-connected only is a good lateral force resistant structural system. Moreover, the yield shear capacity of the specimen was increased by 10.4% after the hat-shaped CFS stiffeners were arranged. Afterwards, a finite element (FE) model was performed and validated against experimental results in terms of failure modes and hysteresis curves. Based on the validated FE model, two specimens were supplementary analysed to obtain a relatively efficient spacing of CFS stiffeners. To effectively improve the accuracy and efficiency in the early design stage, the response surface method (RSM) was introduced to predict the shear capacity of CFS BRSPSWs with beam-connected only in this study. The results show that the RSM prediction model can accurately predict the shear capacity of CFS BRSPSWs with beam-connected only, and can also effectively improve the accuracy and efficiency in the early design stage - the mean value of the FE calculation results to the response surface prediction results is 1.00, and the coefficient of variation (COV) is 0.0003.

Flexural design of restraining panels in buckling-restrained steel plate shear walls considering high-order buckling modes

Buckling-restrained steel plate shear wall (BRSPSW) is one kind of excellent energy dissipating member. The inner steel plate in BRSPSW usually works with high-order buckling modes to resist lateral force under the buckling restrained effect of outer restraining panels. However, current design of the restraining panels is commonly based on simplified uniform-loaded plates without considering the effect of the high-order buckling modes, which may result in unsafe designs. In this paper, the high-order buckling modes in BRSPSW and their influence on the flexural design of the restraining panels were studied. Finite element (FE) models that can accurately simulate the out-of-plane interaction behavior of BRSPSW were developed and verified by existing test results. The numerical results show that the high-order buckling of the steel plate leads to a series of inclined strip-shaped stress regions on restraining panels. When the parameters of BRSPSW are varied in common range, the positive and negative bending moments of the restraining panel under the strip-shaped force are 9.6 and 2.8 times those under the uniform force, respectively. The differences between the bending moment of the restraining panels under strip-shaped force and that under uniform force become larger as the spacings of the strip-shaped stress regions increase. Furthermore, the spacings of the strip-shaped stress regions increase with the decrease of the height-to-thickness ratio of the steel plate and the increase of the gap between the steel plate and the restraining panel. Two fitting formulas of the positive and negative moment amplification factors considering the effect of the high-order buckling modes are proposed to design the restraining panels safely. Additionally, a simplified model and bending moment equations of the restraining panels in BRSPSW are suggested. To avoid the excessive negative bending moments occurring at side supports of the restraining panel, the ratio of cantilever length to middle span is suggested to be not more than 0.4.

Hysteretic behavior of partially buckling-restrained steel plate shear walls with coupled restraining steel tubes

This paper presents a new partially buckling-restrained steel plate shear walls (PBRSPSWs) that used coupled restraining steel tubes (CRSTs) as buckling restraining members. Compared with traditional restraining panels, CRSTs have the advantages of small cross-section, light-weight, and stable buckling restraining effect. Quasi-static tests of four specimens under the cyclic load were carried out to investigate the seismic performance of PBRSPSWs with CRSTs. Test results prove that CRSTs serve well as effective buckling restraining members in PBRSPSWs. Compared to unstiffened steel plate shear walls (USPSWs), the bearing capacity of PBRSPSWs with CRSTs increases by 6% to 21%. The accumulative dissipated energy at 2% story drift of PBRSPSWs with CRSTs increases by 23% to 101%. The ductility factor of PBRSPSWs with CRSTs ranges from 3.9 to 5.9. Furthermore, the finite element (FE) method is applied to simulate the hysteretic behavior of PBRSPSWs. FE analysis demonstrates that both the bearing capacity and energy dissipation capacity of PBRSPSW increase with the decrease of the height-to-thickness ratio of unstiffened zones, then remain unchanged when the height-to-thickness ratio of unstiffened zones is smaller than 30. The maximum gap between the restraining member and the steel plate is suggested to be half of the thickness of the steel plate. Finally, a formula for calculating the bearing capacity of PBRSPSWs is developed and validated by the test results.

Out-plane interaction behavior of partially buckling-restrained steel plate shear walls

Partially buckling-restrained steel plate shear wall (PBRSPSW) mainly involves a steel plate partially restrained by out-plane restraining members, which is convenient to be transported and installed. The energy dissipation ability of PBRSPSW can be adjusted by changing the number of the restraining members. This paper focuses on the interaction behavior between steel plate and restraining members in PBRSPSW. The buckling and out-plane interaction behavior of PBRSPSW are studied by the simplified analytic method. The out-plane interaction force acting on the partially buckling restraining member results from the tension action and extrusion effect of the steel plate. Furthermore, a simplified continuous trusses model considering the fully developed buckling mode of the steel plate is developed to simulate the out-plane interaction behavior in PBRSPSW. Based on the internal force analysis of the continuous trusses model, an out-plane interaction force equation of PBRSPSWs is derived. Additionally, experimental studies were carried out to investigate the out-plane interaction behavior of PBRSPSW. The test results indicated that the out-plane interaction force of the PBRSPSW rises with the decline of the unstiffened zone’s height-to-thickness ratio. The out-plane force at the corner and bottom regions are higher than that of other regions. Considering the influence of the plastic buckling of steel plate, the theoretical equation for calculating the out-plane interaction forces of PBRSPSWs is modified and verified with the test results.

Seismic performance quantification of buckling-restrained steel plate shear wall-RC frame structures

The beam-connected buckling-restrained steel plate shear wall (SPSW) has the advantages of high bearing capacity, strong energy dissipation and good ductility, and flexible arrangement in the structure, which can reduce the force acting on the frame columns and avoid premature failure of the frame columns. To determine the SPSW configuration in structures to fully exploit the seismic performance, a plastic design method of the steel plate shear wall-RC frame structure (SPSW-RCF) was proposed based on energy balance in this paper. The expected global failure mechanism was constructed and the double lateral resistance SPSW-RCF system was decomposed into SPSW system and RC frame system by using shear force ratio. The design base shear was calculated based on the energy balance principle to determine the design lateral story shear forces of the SPSW and RC frame systems, and then the design of SPSWs could be completed. Considering the post-yield behavior of SPSWs and the plastic internal force distribution mechanism, internal forces of beams and columns were calculated, and then the design of the RCF could be completed. 56 SPSW-RCF structures with different story numbers and story shear ratios were designed, SPSW thickness and reinforcements of the SPSW-RCF were compared. By performing the nonlinear dynamic analysis under 22 ground motions, the maximum interstory drift ratios, SPSW maximum displacement ductility, yield mechanism, residual drift ratio and story shear ratio of structures with different story numbers and story shear ratios were comparatively investigated. Furthermore, the actual SPSW-resisted story shear ratio was quantified and the recommended design SPSW-resisted story shear ratio was suggested.

Numerical modelling and equivalent brace model of cold-formed steel buckling-restrained steel plate shear walls

Cold-formed steel (CFS) buckling-restrained steel plate shear wall (SPSW) is a highly efficient lateral force resisting structure, which integrates architectural and structural functions. CFS stiffeners significantly reduces the out-of-plane deformation and improves the strength of SPSW. To investigate the effect of different arrangements of CFS on the buckling restraint of SPSW regardless of the effect of the surrounding frame, a finite element (FE) model of CFS buckling-restrained SPSW was developed and validated against the test results. Upon validation, a series of FE models were generated for parametric analysis. Based on the FE elastic buckling analysis method, the economic stiffness ratio of CFS to the steel plate was presented. Using the steel bar buckling theory, a simplified analysis model of the equivalent brace model considering the buckling-restrained effect of CFS on the steel plate was proposed. The simplified analysis model can consider the influence of buckling constraints and spacing on the buckling stress of the steel plate. Moreover, it can accurately simulate the stiffness and bearing capacity of the SPSW structure. The results show that the proposed simplified analysis model is accurate and consistent.

Interaction behaviour of buckling-restrained steel plate shear wall and boundary composite frame

Both concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) column and buckling-restrained steel plate shear wall (BRSPSW) have the advantages of high load-carrying capacity and superior seismic performance. The structural system composed of CFST columns and BRSBSWs will have the superior mechanical performance and be more suitable for high-rise buildings. In this study, the pseudo-static tests were carried out on the specimens of unstiffened steel plate shear wall and cold-formed steel (CFS) BRSPSW which were infilled in the single-span two-story 1/3 scaled composite frame respectively. The test results show that the CFS stiffeners have the obvious effect of restraining the outward buckling deformation on the steel plate, improving the lateral stiffness and resistance of the steel plate, and reducing the deflection deformation of the steel plate to the surrounding composite frame. The finite element (FE) model was established and validated, and the interaction between the BRSPSW and the composite frame was analysed. In combination with the theory and the FE analysis results, the maximum deflection limits of CFST column and steel beam were proposed to ensure the strength of the infill BRSPSW to give full play. Considering the separation of the steel tube wall of square CFST from the core concrete in the process of loading, the deflection limit of square CFST is proposed considering the separation effect of the steel tube wall of square CFST from core concrete under the action of infilled steel plate.

Behaviour of buckling-restrained steel plate shear wall with concrete-filled L-shaped built-up section tube composite frame

To improve the space utilisation rate and seismic performance of high-rise buildings, a new seismic structural system, this paper proposes a buckling-restrained steel plate shear wall (SPSW) with a concrete-filled L-shaped built-up section tube composite frame. In this composite shear wall system, the columns in the frame are composed of hot-rolled carbon steel H-section members and carbon steel square hollow section tubes, which are connected by steel plates and filled with concrete, and the SPSW is comprised of an embedded steel plate and several pairs of cold-formed steel hat-section buckling-restraining strips. To study the seismic performance of this new type of shear wall system, two specimens were prepared and tested under a horizontal cyclic load. The test results showed that the two specimens had a high bearing capacity, good ductility, and good energy dissipation capacity. This indicated that the new shear wall system was reliable and effective at resisting lateral forces. Finite element models were established and validated against experimental results. Based on the results of a parametric analysis, a value of 0.85 was proposed for coefficient η to modify the method based on the plate–frame interaction theory, which could be used to calculate the bearing capacity of the buckling-restrained SPSW with the concrete-filled L-shaped built-up section tube composite frame.

Experimental and numerical investigation of cross-shaped buckling-restrained SPSWs with composite structure

The square concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) column enjoys the advantages of high bearing capacity, a simple structure of beam-column joints, good ductility and seismic performance. Therefore, the square CFST columns are introduced as the boundary frame of buckling-restrained steel plate shear wall (SPSW). To investigate the cyclic behaviour of cross-shaped buckling-restrained SPSW with a composite frame consisting of H-shaped steel beams and square CFST columns, two specimens were prepared and tested under the cyclic quasi-static loading, and the failure modes and hysteretic curves of the specimens were discussed. Experimental results show that the cross-shaped buckling-restrained stiffeners can significantly reduce the out-of-plane deformation of the steel plate and improve the bearing capacity of SPSW structures. The finite element (FE) models of SPSWs with cross-shaped stiffeners were developed, and good agreement was observed between the FE analysis results and test results for the failure modes, skeleton curves and bearing capacity. Based on the parameter analysis results of the cross-shaped buckling-restrained SPSWs structures, it is assumed that the strength of the embedded steel plate can be fully exerted when the flexibility coefficient of square CFST columns is no greater than 2.5. In addition, the design rules of the flexibility coefficient of square CFST columns were proposed to promote the application of SPSW buckling-restrained by cross-shaped stiffeners in high-rise buildings.

Mechanical performance of coupled buckling-restrained steel plate shear walls

In order to improve the seismic behavior of coupled steel plate shear wall (CSPSW), a new type of coupled buckling-restrained steel plate shear wall structure is proposed. To study the mechanical characteristics of coupled buckling-restrained steel plate shear wall (CBRSPSW), calculating equations for coupling degree of this novel coupled shear wall is derived. The finite element software ABAQUS is used to conduct the parametric studies on the FE models of CBRSPSW and CSPSW. Besides, the ratio of the plastic sectional bending resistances of coupling beam and frame beam γ was selected as the main parameters to control the coupling degree. The mechanical properties of CBRSPSW and CSPSW, like failure mode, shear distribution, column internal force and coupling beam rotation, are analyzed and compared. Besides, the influences of the beam plastic moment ratio γ on the these properties are also studied. Through the numerical research, the coupling degree of CBRSPSW and CSPSW is recommended to be controlled within 0.35–0.45 so that rational mechanical behavior can be obtained.

SEISMIC PLASTIC DESIGN OF BUCKLING-RESTRAINED STEEL PLATE SHEAR WALL-RC FRAME STRUCTURES BASED ON ENERGY BALANCE

The beam-connected buckling-restrained steel plate shear wall (SPSW) have the advantages of high load-carrying capacity, strong energy dissipation capacity, good ductility etc. Moreover, the flexible arrangement in the structure can reduce the force on the frame columns and avoid the premature destruction of the frame columns. To determine the SPSW configuration in structures to fully exploit the aseismic performance, a seismic plastic design of SPSW-RC frame structures based on energy balance is proposed. Target drift ratio and global yield mechanism of the structure were set, and the design base shear was calculated based on the energy mechanism principle. The dual structural system was decomposed into a SPSW system and a RC frame system by using the shear ratio. Design lateral forces were calculated, and then the section design of SPSWs could be completed. According to the plastic internal force distribution mechanism and considering the post-yield behavior of SPSWs, the internal force demand of beams and columns could be calculated, and the section design of a RC frame could be completed. A 5-storey and a 10-storey structure were designed based on the plastic design method and the time history analysis method is used to analyze the structures. The yielding mechanism, inter-storey drift ratio, storey shear ratio and residual drift ratio of the two structures are compared and studied. The analytical results show that the proposed design method can achieve the desired seismic failure modes and meet the performance requirements.

Steel plate–restraining panel interaction behavior in buckling-restrained steel plate shear walls

A simplified model of the buckling-restrained steel plate shear wall (BRSPSW) was developed to simulate the steel plate–restraining panel interaction behavior that considers the high-order buckling deformation of steel plates. Based on the analysis of the simplified model, a theoretical equation to determine the out-of-plane interaction force was developed. Additionally, a push-over test was conducted to determine the interaction force between the steel plate and restraining panels. The results were used to validate the theoretical and finite element (FE) analyses. Furthermore, the FE method was applied to analyze the steel plate–restraining panel interaction behavior, and the effect of the gap on the out-of-plane interaction force was investigated. The FE results show that the interaction force of a thinner steel plate is higher than that of a thicker plate. As the gap increases, the interaction force increases rapidly to the peak value and then reduces gradually. Finally, the theoretical and FE results were compared. It was found that the theoretical equation can be used to calculate the out-of-plane interaction forces of BRSPSWs.

Design and experimental study of a buckling-restrained steel plate shear wall with novel buckling-restrained panels for improving bearing capacity and energy dissipation

In this study, a buckling-restrained steel plate shear wall with novel buckling-restrained panels (hereafter referred to as the BRSPSW-NBP) with improved bearing capacity and energy dissipation is proposed. The novel buckling-restrained panel comprises a concrete panel and load-bearing connection steel plates with energy dissipation segments. These steel plates are connected with the boundary frame through connectors for transferring the horizontal and vertical loads to the concrete panel. Therefore, the buckling-restrained panel serves as an additional load-bearing component that increases the bearing capacity and lateral stiffness of the BRSPSW-NBP. To dissipate seismic energy, the energy dissipation segments in the load-bearing connection steel plates are designed to undergo plastic deformation earlier than the inner steel plate such that the BRSPSW-NBP develops a multi-stage energy dissipation characteristic. Theoretical analyses were conducted to investigate the seismic behaviour of the BRSPSW-NBP. The bearing capacity and multi-stage energy dissipation characteristic of the BRSPSW-NBP were studied through quasi-static testing. The results demonstrated that the connection steel plates with energy dissipation segments share the horizontal and vertical loads of the BRSPSW-NBP and undergo plastic deformation earlier than the inner steel plate, thus improving the bearing capacity and energy dissipation performance of the BRSPSW-NBP.