Mitigating Web Plate Damage and Reducing Frame Demands in Resilient Steel Plate Shear Walls

The self-centering steel plate shear wall (SC-SPSW) combines the high lateral strength and stiffness of thin steel web plates, typically connected to beams and columns, with the recentering capabilities of post-tensioned (PT) beam-column connections to form a resilient structural system that sustains minimal boundary frame damage after severe ground shaking. To further improve structural economy, robustness, and constructability, a modified SC-SPSW with web plates connected only to the beams has been proposed as a means of reducing column demands and reducing localized strain demands in the web plate due to PT connection gap opening. Experimental and numerical investigations of SC-SPSWs with beam-only web plate connectivity have shown the beam-connected SC-SPSWs to have overall lighter steel weights, delayed onset and propagation of web plate tearing, and increased energy dissipation compared to SC-SPSWs of comparable strength with web plates connected to beams and columns. Results from these studies on SC-SPSWs suggest similar benefits from employing beam-connected web plates in conventional steel plate shear walls (SPSWs). This paper discusses the behavior of and design implications for beam-connected web plates in SPSWs and SC-SPSWs. Response of SC-SPSWs with beam-connected web plates from numerical models and experimental results are compared. Two three-story SC-SPSWs with beam-connected and fully-connected web plates was designed to have equal strength and the steel weight of each design is compared to address potential economic benefits from releasing the web plates from the columns. This research is of interest for university faculty and design professionals worldwide who focus on design of structural systems in high seismic regions. This presentation will provide design alternatives and highlight new research directions for improving economy, constructability, and resiliency of SPSWs.