CYCLIC TESTS OF VERTICALLY-CORRUGATED STEEL PLATE SHEAR WALLS WITH VARIOUS OPENINGS

Vertically corrugated steel plate shear wall is a new type of lateral load-resisting system suitable for mid-to high-rise buildings, which has the advantages of superior seismic performance, simple construction, fulfillment of architectural function, and convenient adjustment of structural performance. Four 1/3 scale two-story single-bay vertically corrugated steel plate shear walls with various infill panels (panel without opening, panel with bilateral gaps, panel with bilateral openings, and panel with central opening) were tested under cyclic lateral loads. Failure mode, cyclic behavior, strength and stiffness properties, deformation and energy dissipation capacities of the specimens were presented and discussed. Influences of opening size, opening location and end plates at the free edges on the seismic behavior were studied. Test results shown that all specimens exhibited excellent seismic performance, with high lateral stiffness and capacity, stable cyclic post-buckling performance, and ductility in the range of 4.67 to 6.12. Compared with the specimen with no opening, the lateral capacity of the specimen with bilateral gaps, the specimen with bilateral openings and the specimen with central opening were reduced by 13%, 26%, 14% respectively, and the lateral stiffness were reduced by 20%, 27%, 33% respectively. With the same opening ratio, the lateral stiffness of the specimen with bilateral openings was 8% lower than the specimen with central opening, but with higher capacity and ductility, which might be mainly due to the immature beam-column connections failure in the former specimen. Welding end plates to the free edges of corrugated wall panels improved the load-carrying efficiency evidently. Recommendations on seismic design of vertically-corrugated steel plate shear walls connected with beams only were also proposed.