Analytical and Experimental Investigation of Self-centering Steel Plate Shear Walls

Keywords: Self-centering; steel plate shear wall; moment frame; rocking connection; seismic response; resilient structure; seismic performance

Abstract: This report presents the results of an analytical and experimental study on a proposed self-centering steel plate shear wall (SC-SPSW) system. To investigate the behavior of SC-SPSWs, a multi-facility experimental program was developed and conducted. First, investigation of one-third scaled single-bay three-story frames was conducted at the Structural Engineering and Earthquake Simulation Laboratory at the University at Buffalo, consisting of quasi-static cyclic and dynamic shake-table testing. Second, a full-scale single-bay two-story specimen was conducted at the National Center for Earthquake Engineering in Taiwan subjected to an earthquake excitation loading using the pseudo-dynamic testing method. Furthermore, to assist in the design of SC-SPSWs, analytical models are developed in the computer programs SAP2000 and OpenSees. Additionally, also needed for the goal of practical implementation and design, fundamental knowledge on the kinematics of SC-SPSWs through detailed free body diagrams is established.