Steel Plate Walls Research Articles

Experimental and FEM study on the feasibility of PBL connectors in the composite cable-pylon anchorage zone of cable-stayed bridge

This study investigates the joint between the steel wall plate and the concrete pylon wall in the cable-pylon anchorage zone of cable-stayed bridges, utilizing perfobond rib (PBL) connectors. Finite element analysis (FEM) was conducted on the steel wall plate-concrete joint under various conditions, including cable force, concrete shrinkage, overall warming, and overall cooling, with PBL connectors modeled as spring elements. The results indicate that vertical shear force in the PBL connectors peaks in the steel bracket web plates, with cable force and concrete shrinkage having the most significant impact on stress. Scaled-down local model tests and corresponding solid element FEM analysis were performed to evaluate the load performance of these joints. During tests, deformation between the steel plate and concrete wall remained minimal, and no cracks appeared under loads up to 1.7 times the design load. The ultimate load capacity was 2.9 times the design load, with failure occurring through pullout damage. FEM analysis showed good agreement with test results, and overall stress levels remained low, meeting design requirements. Material yielding only occurred in joint areas under large loads, confirming the feasibility of PBL connectors in composite cable-pylon anchorage zones.

Seismic Performance Assessment of Composite Frame–High-Strength Steel Plate Wall Core Tube Resilient Structural System

Against the backdrop of China’s continuous promotion of green and low-carbon transformation and the development of construction industrialization, high-strength composite structural systems have significant development prospects. However, their research and application in the field of construction are insufficient. In response to this issue, the study proposes a new high-performance structural system, namely the composite frame–high-strength steel plate wall core tube resilient structural system, which includes a core tube composed of double steel plate concrete composite shear walls and replaceable energy dissipation coupling beams, as well as composite frames. The highest strength grades of the steel plate and concrete used in the composite walls of the core tube are Q550 and C100, respectively. Using a 200 m building as an example, this study designs and establishes models for this high-performance structure and a conventional reinforced concrete frame–core tube structure. Subsequently, the dynamic elastoplastic time history analysis and seismic resilience assessment of structures are conducted under design basis earthquakes (DBEs), maximum considered earthquakes (MCEs), and extremely rare earthquakes (EREs). Research has shown that, compared to conventional structures, the thickness of shear walls of new high-performance structures can be effectively reduced, which helps decrease the self-weight of the structure and improve the available space in buildings. Additionally, high-performance structures exhibit a better performance in controlling the story drift ratio, lower plastic damage and overall stiffness degradation of the structure, and better seismic performance. The seismic resilience of the high-performance structure has been significantly enhanced, especially in terms of minimizing casualties, thereby better ensuring the safety of people’s lives and property.

Shear stability and resistance design of novel vertically-flexible stiffened steel plate shear walls

Steel plate shear walls (SPSWs) have been widely employed in practical engineering projects. The steel plates inevitably endure axial loads due to the gravitational forces and structural settling. However, vertical pre-compressive loads have detrimental effects on the buckling behavior and shear resistance of the steel plates. Instead of strengthening the SPSWs to resist the vertical loads, a new type of vertically-flexible stiffened steel plate shear wall (VFS-SPSW) is proposed to minimize these adverse effects. The incorporation of hollow steel tube reduces the vertical compressive stiffness of the VFS-SPSW, leading to a decrease in the proportion of axial compressive loads transmitted to the steel plate wall from the boundary frame. Consequently, this feature facilitates the installation of VFS-SPSW without the necessity of awaiting the completion of the upper structure. In this paper, finite element (FE) analysis is conducted to obtain a threshold out-of-plane bending stiffness ratio for the stability of the VFS-SPSW. Subsequently, a formula for threshold out-of-plane bending stiffness ratio is proposed, including parameters of the ratio of torsional to bending stiffness and aspect ratio of the subpanel. Then, the anchoring mechanism of hollow steel tube to the tensile field of the steel plate is investigated. The threshold in-plane anchor stiffness ratio is defined to ensure the full development of the tension field in the steel plate. A formula for predicting this ratio is proposed by theoretical and numerical analysis. Finally, the reduction factor of vertical compressive stiffness for the VFS-SPSW at the threshold in-plane anchor stiffness ratio is calculated. The results indicate that the vertical compressive stiffness of the VFS-SPSW, which meets the threshold stiffness design requirements, can be decreased to below 50% of the traditional stiffened SPSW, while ensuring that the reduction in ultimate shear stress remains within the limit of 5%.

Seismic Behavior of Coupled Steel Plate and Concrete Composite Wall System

Seismic Behavior of Coupled Steel Plate and Concrete Composite Wall System

Seismic behavior of steel plate wall with stiffeners and concrete slab in the box-plate steel structure

The box-plate steel structure is a box-type building in which stiffened steel plates are directly used as load-carrying walls and floors. The seismic behavior of the stiffened steel plate walls (SSPWs) in the box-plate steel structure is the key to ensuring the safety of the box-type building when it is used in a seismic precautionary zone. In order to improve the seismic behavior of the SSPWs in the box-plate steel structure, precast concrete slab is set on the side without stiffeners. Thus formed the steel plate wall with stiffeners and concrete slab in each side (CS-SSPW). In this paper, one SSPW specimen and three CS-SSPW specimens were designed and tested to study the seismic performance of CS-SSPW and to understand to what extent the setting of concrete slabs can improve the load-carrying capacity and seismic performance of SSPW. The quasi-static test results showed that, compared with the SSPW specimen, the load-carrying capacity, energy dissipation capacity, stiffness and deformation capacity of the CS-SSPW specimens were significantly improved. Subsequently, in order to further clarify the force mechanism and failure mode of CS-SSPW, the finite element simulation analysis was carried out on the four specimens, and the finite element analysis (FEA) models were verified by the test results. Moreover, parametric analysis was conducted to investigate the influence of various parameters on shear capacity of the CS-SSPW. Through parameter analysis, the design suggestion of CS-SSPW was given. Finally, based on the results of experiment and FEA, the force mechanism of CS-SSPW was analyzed, and a calculation method was proposed to evaluate the ultimate shear capacity of CS-SSPW which could be used as the design basis for practical engineering.

Mechanical properties and automatic design method for rural residences with hinged frames and cold-formed thin-walled stiffened walls

At present, the overall construction quality of rural residences is still relatively poor, and the seismic performance of their structural systems is insufficient. In this study, quasi-static tests were carried out on three cold-formed thin-walled stiffened steel plate wall (CFSW) specimens infilled in a single-span two-story 1/2 scale hinged special-shaped column frame. The seismic performance of each specimen was evaluated by comparing the bearing capacity, ductility, stiffness degradation, energy dissipation capacity, and strain. The results show that the filling of concrete and gypsum in the column helps improve the bearing capacity of the structure but has no notable effect on the stiffness. The brittle failure phenomenon in the filled concrete specimens is obvious, and those specimens either without filler or whose columns are filled with gypsum show better ductility and energy dissipation capacities. A finite element (FE) model was established and validated, and the influence of parameters such as the connection method between the wall and frame, the shear-span ratio of the wall, the thickness of the stiffened wall, and the number of hat-section cold-formed steel (HCFS) stiffeners upon the structural system was analyzed. In combination with the test and the FE analysis results, the calculation method for horizontal bearing capacity of CFSW restrained by HCFS stiffeners and engineering design suggestions were put forward. In addition, an automatic program for the forward generation of the CFSW was designed, and the application of the system in practical engineering was verified using Midas software.

Performance and strength analysis of concrete-encased steel plate walls under tensile-flexural-shear load

When located at the base of a building experiencing high-intensity earthquakes or bi-directional earthquakes, shear walls may be tensile, resulting in tensile-flexural-shear (TFS) stress states after lateral load coupling. The Chinese code proposes the embedded steel to counteract such issues, but there are few relevant studies. Six concrete-encased steel plate (CES) walls were tested under the TFS load to investigate the effects of axial tensile ratio and steel content on seismic behavior. The results showed that TFS specimens failed in tensile flexural-shear mode. Compared to the tension-free specimen, TFS specimens with an axial tensile ratio of 2.5 had 21%, 56%, and 40% lower shear strength, initial lateral stiffness, and ductility. Comparatively, increasing the steel content in the boundary elements effectively reduced the strengthening effect of steel and the brittle fracture potential of boundary elements induced by TFS load, thus enhancing the overall behavior by 15–19%. Furthermore, the failure mechanism was proposed based on the development of deformation and strain. It demonstrated that the maximum principal tensile stress in the web caused severe shear strength degradation and highlighted the importance of the dowel action through the crack interface, depending on the variables. Through the comparative analysis of the shear strength design formulas for eccentric tensile CES walls, the steel proportion was proposed as a modified factor in Chinese code for better estimation.

Performance of concrete-filled double-skin shallow-corrugated steel plate composite walls under compression-bending load

This paper presents the study on the performance of concrete-filled double-skin shallow-corrugated steel plate composite walls (CDSCW) under combined compression and in-plane bending, where the CDSCW is composed of the concrete-filled double-skin shallow-corrugated steel plate wall (CDSW) and rectangular concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) columns. The experiments on full-scale specimens show that the concrete and steel work together well under the combined loading, and the inner concrete is effectively confined by both steel tubes and shallow-corrugated steel plates. The numerical model is established for the CDSCW and the feasibility is verified by comparing with the test results. The equations for the resistance of composite wall under combined compression and bending are proposed through an extensive parametric study, and the validity and the reliability of the design methods are discussed. It is concluded that the proposed design methods can reasonably predict the resistance of CDSCW under combined compression and in-plane bending.

Evaluation and Numerical Investigations of the Cyclic Behavior of Smart Composite Steel-Concrete Shear Wall: Comprehensive Study of Finite Element Model.

The composite shear wall has various merits over the traditional reinforced concrete walls. Thus, several experimental studies have been reported in the literature in order to study the seismic behavior of composite shear walls. However, few numerical investigations were found in the previous literature because of difficulties in the interaction behavior of steel and concrete. This study aimed to present a numerical analysis of smart composite shear walls, which use an infilled steel plate and concrete. The study was carried out using the ANSYS software. The mechanical mechanisms between the web plate and concrete were investigated thoroughly. The results obtained from the finite element (FE) analysis show excellent agreement with the experimental test results in terms of the hysteresis curves, failure behavior, ultimate strength, initial stiffness, and ductility. The present numerical investigations were focused on the effects of the gap, thickness of infill steel plate, thickness of the concrete wall, and distance between shear studs on the composite steel plate shear wall (CSPSW) behavior. The results indicate that increasing the gap between steel plate and concrete wall from 0 mm to 40 mm improved the stiffness by 18% as compared to the reference model, which led to delay failures of this model. Expanding the infill steel plate thickness to 12 mm enhanced the stiffness and energy absorption with a ratio of 95% and 58%, respectively. This resulted in a gradual drop in the strength capacity of this model. Meanwhile, increasing concrete wall thickness to 150 mm enhanced the ductility and energy absorption with a ratio of 52% and 32%, respectively, which led to restricting the model and reduced lateral offset. Changing the distance between shear studs from 20% to 25% enhanced the ductility and energy absorption by about 66% and 32%, respectively.

Performance of concrete-filled double-skin shallow-corrugated steel plate composite walls under axial compression

This research introduces a steel-concrete composite wall, namely the concrete-filled double-skin shallow-corrugated steel plate composite wall (CDSCW). It is composed of one concrete-filled double-skin shallow-corrugated steel plate wall (CDSW) and rectangular concrete-filled steel tubular (CFST) columns arranged on the sides of the wall, where the shallow-corrugated steel plates in the CDSW are featured with low energy consumption in production. Full-scale tests are conducted on the compressive behaviour of CDSCWs. Numerical models are also established for further investigation. Based on the extensive parametric study, formulas for the resistance of cross-section to compression, equivalent slenderness ratio, stability coefficient, as well as the resistance of composite wall in axial compression are proposed. It verifies that the proposed formulas are safe and reliable for the resistance prediction of CDSCWs.

A nonlinear visco-hyperelastic model for spray polyurea and applications

Spray polyurea (SPUA) is widely used as a protective coating material for engineering structures subjected to the intensive impulsive loadings attributed to its large deformation and viscoelastic properties. Both experimental and theoretical studies of the hyperelastic and viscoelastic behaviors of SPUA, as well as the applications in the numerical simulations of the SPUA retrofitted structures under impact and blast loadings were conducted. Firstly, the reasonable geometries and dimensions of specimens are designed, and the complete compressive stress-strain curves of SPUA with the strain rate ranging from 10−3-103 s−1 were experimentally derived. The dependences of the dynamic initial elastic modulus, stress and fracture strain on the strain rate are formulated. It indicates that the initial elastic modulus and stress increase as the strain rate increases, while the fracture strain is linearly negatively correlated with the logarithm of strain rates. Then, a twenty-four-parameter nonlinear visco-hyperelastic constitutive model composed of a hyperelastic model and seven Prony series terms is established and validated, in which the model parameters are determined through a multi-objective optimization based on genetic algorithm. Finally, by evaluating the existing sixteen constitutive models embedded in finite element program LS-DYNA, the Simplified rubber/foam model is selected for describing the mechanical behavior of SPUA. The Simplified rubber/foam model parameters are further calibrated by the established nonlinear visco-hyperelastic model and comprehensively validated by comparisons with six series of impact and explosion tests on the SPUA, SPUA retrofitted steel plate and masonry wall. The present work could provide a helpful reference for the design and evaluation of the SPUA retrofitted structures.

Numerical Study on Elastic Buckling Behavior of Diagonally Stiffened Steel Plate Walls under Combined Shear and Non-Uniform Compression

Unstiffened steel plate walls (SPWs) are prone to buckling in practical engineering and will invariably be subjected to vertical loads. The use of stiffeners can improve the buckling behavior of thin plates. Considering the effect of the torsional stiffness of C-shaped stiffeners, the elastic buckling of the diagonally stiffened steel plate wall (DS-SPW) under combined shear and non-uniform compression is investigated. The interaction curves for the DS-SPW under combined action are presented, as well as a proposed equation for the elastic buckling coefficient. In addition, the effects of the stiffener’s flexural and torsional stiffness on the elastic buckling stress were investigated, and the threshold stiffness formulae were proposed. The results show that the interaction curve of the DS-SPW under combined shear and non-uniform compression is approximately parabolic. The critical buckling stress of the DS-SPW can be increased by increasing the stiffener’s torsional-to-flexure stiffness ratio and the non-uniform compression distribution factor, while the buckling stress can be decreased by increasing the non-uniform compression-to-shear ratio. Simultaneous action of shear and axial compression will increase the threshold stiffness by approximately 40% when compared to the plate under pure shear action. Therefore, the safety threshold stiffness formula is suggested, considering the combined action of shear and non-uniform compression.

Numerical Analysis of the Structure of High-Strength Double-Layer Steel Plate Concrete Shaft by Drilling Method of Water-Bearing Weak Rock Formation

In order to ensure the safety of coal mine shaft construction, a double-layer steel plate concrete composite shaft wall structure was proposed. However, fewer studies were conducted on this structure, which made engineers too confused to fully recognize its feasibility of this structure. Hence, based on the previous experimental research on the Taohutu mine construction project in Ordos in Inner Mongolia, this research paper aims to provide a widely deep numerical analysis by the usage of the finite element software, in fact, to establish the corresponding numerical analysis model and make a comparison with the experimental data to get the rationality of the verified model. The influence of the composite characteristics of the steel plate and concrete on the ultimate bearing capacity and stress field of the shaft wall structure is studied here through the method of multi-factor analysis. Also, the optimal design scheme of the double-layer steel plate and concrete composite shaft wall structure is proposed in this research paper.

Shake-table testing of 2-story steel framed building with self-centering modular panels and slit steel plate walls

Recent numerical study and cyclic testing results have suggested that the self-centering modular panels (SCMP) offer a promising prefabricated structural panel technology for enhanced seismic performance of beam-through steel frames (BTSFs). Several types of seismic fuse devices, including tension-only braces and slit steel plate shear walls (SWs) for energy dissipation, have been studied for their viability in adoption by SCMP. To further investigate the dynamic response and resilience behavior of this seismic-force-resisting system, shaking table tests have been conducted on a 2-story SCMP-BTSF building model with SWs as seismic fuse device. Two far-field ground motion records with various intensity levels were used in the shake table tests. The presented experimental testing study is the first shaking table test of SCMP-BTSF, which is a newly proposed pre-fabricated structure system with self-centering features. Nonlinear finite element (FE) model was also established to perform time history analysis of the test structure and assist with specimen design. The shake test results show that the structure response under frequent ground motions meets the inter-story drift limit given in Chinese code - GB 50011–2010 (Code for Seismic Design of Buildings, abbreviated as CSDB hereafter). When the hazard level was greater than that of frequent ground motions, the system exhibited flag-shaped hysteresis curves of the story shear as expected. It is observed that the SWs dissipated seismic energy through yielding and buckling of steel slats between slits, while other structural members and PTFs remained elastic. No cracks were seen in the concrete floor slabs after all shake table tests. After replacing SWs, the test structure showed nearly identical dynamic properties and seismic responses to the original test structure.

Dynamic Time Analysis of the Composite Shear Wall on the Grid-tube-type Double Steel Plate Wall with Infilled Concrete

In this paper, based on a 30-story building with frame-core tube structure system, three comparative schemes are established of reinforced concrete core tube construction, steel-reinforced concrete core tube construction and the combined shear wall core tube structure with the grid-tube-type double steel plate wall with infilled concrete are established, and the dynamic elastoplastic time history is analyzed. Research shows that under the influence of a severe earthquake, the lateral strength degradation and stiffness degradation are slow on the Joint structural system of concrete filled steel tubular frame and composite shear wall core tube structure with the grid-tube-type double steel plate wall with infilled concrete, so interlayer shear force and bottom shear force increase, structural lateral stiffness increased significantly, interlayer displacement angle reduces significantly, and it improves the seismic performance of tall building.

Response assessment and prediction of low yield point steel plate shear walls with curved corrugated web plates and reduced beam sections

In recent years, researchers have been moving increasingly towards new lateral force-resisting systems such as corrugated, low yield point (LYP) steel plate shear walls (SPSWs) fabricated with reduced beam sections. Recent application of curved corrugated web-plates with improved structural performances combined to the merit of LYP steel with superior elongation capacity has motivated the researchers to consider the employment of such elements in unstiffened SPSWs with the aim of developing a high-performing system. Currently, no design code addresses the seismic performance of LYP corrugated steel plate shear walls (CSPSWs). More investigations are required to develop a fundamental understanding of the performance of these seismic systems employing LYP steel material and corrugated infill plates. The present paper investigates the seismic performance of unstiffened, corrugated, and LYP steel walls under monotonic and cyclic loadings. A series of LYP steel plate walls were designed based on the capacity design approach proposed in AISC 341 code. The effectiveness of web plate thickness, corrugation angle, number of corrugations, and the aspect ratio of the plate are evaluated in this study. The results of this research demonstrate how employment of LYP steel material as well as curved corrugated plates is beneficial in improving the strength, hysteresis performance, and stiffness of the system. Increasing the number of corrugation half-waves can adversely affect structural behavior. The behavior of LYP steel plate shear walls with curved corrugated web plates is predicted and examined using a modified plate-frame interaction (M-PFI) method. Analytical predictions are compared with experimental and numerical results.

Static elastoplastic analysis of the composite shear wall of the grid -tube- type double steel plate wall with infilled concrete

In this paper, the new idea is proposed on the composite shear wall of the grid -tube- type double steel plate wall with infilled concrete, the model test was carried out, and combined with practical engineering, for instance, a 18th floor high-rise building pushover static elastoplastic analysis is discussed. Research shows that the hysteresis curve of the new composite shear wall is relatively full, and has good seismic performance with high bearing capacity, high ductility and high energy consumption capacity. Under the action of rare earthquakes, the interlayer displacement is small on structural system with concrete filled steel tubular column and he composite shear wall of the grid -tube- type double steel plate wall with infilled concrete, and the new composite shear wall is distributed more base shear. Research shows that structural system on composite shear wall with grid -tube- type double steel plate wall with infilled concrete has good seismic performance.

Design of vertically stiffened steel plate walls under combined uniaxial compression and shear loads

Elastic buckling of stiffened steel plate walls (S-SPWs) under combined compression and shear was studied focusing on the stiffness demand on stiffeners to implement subpanel’s buckling mode. Flat-bars and closed form stiffeners were considered. Threshold stiffness of stiffeners is presented for elastic buckling of subpanels of S-SPWs in pure compression, pure shear and combined compression and shear. The effect of stiffeners’ torsional stiffness has been included.Then the elastic–plastic (E-P) buckling of S-SPWs under combined compression and shear was studied. A criteria was established to identify the E-P shear buckling stress under a prescribed compression stress for S-SPWs with given stiffness of stiffeners. Threshold stiffness of stiffeners was taken on the buckling stress – stiffness curve at the transition point as the E-P buckling shear stress reaches a plateau. The demand of keeping stiffeners straight when stiffeners are compressed simultaneously has been incorporated in such defined threshold stiffness. Equations for threshold stiffness of flat-bars and closed form stiffeners are proposed separately and comparisons with finite element results show good accuracy.

Seismic Performance Evaluation of Existing Buildings Using Equivalent Double Diagonal Strut Model for Corrugated Steel Plate Walls

Seismic Performance Evaluation of Existing Buildings Using Equivalent Double Diagonal Strut Model for Corrugated Steel Plate Walls

Seismic Behavior Analysis of New Damping and Energy Dissipating Corrugated Steel Shear Wall System

In order to avoid the premature buckling of steel plate shear walls, the corrugated steel plate walls are used to increase stiffness and the buckling resistance performance, and soft steel dampers are also adopted to improve the energy dissipation capacity. This combined use of the corrugated steel plate wall and the damper leads to a new system: damping energy-dissipating corrugated steel shear wall (DCSW). A numerical simulation model was established to study the seismic behavior of DCSW using the software ABAQUS, in which the material and geometric nonlinear were considered. Based on that, the ultimate bearing capacity, stiffness and ductility were analyzed. The results indicate that the DCSW structure has a high strength redundancy. The strength of DCSW structure is about 18% higher than that of steel.