CALCULATION METHODS FOR BOUNDARY ELEMENTS IN STEEL PLATE SHEAR WALLS

Based on the ideal failure mechanism of steel frame-steel plate shear walls, this paper gives design formulas for boundary elements of steel plate shear walls and strength relationships between steel plate shear walls, beams and columns. A full scale analysis model of a one-bay five-story steel frame with steel plate shear walls was designed according to the calculation formulas mentioned above. Nonlinear numerical analysis is conducted using the nonlinear finite element software ABAQUS 6.10. Results obtained from this study are as follows: The top beam can provide enough bending strength to prevent a one-sided tension field from causing a mid-span plastic hinge to form. The single story lateral load carried by steel plate shear walls is basically uniform. This shows that the boundary elements designed by the calculation formulas discussed in the paper can provide enough anchor strength for steel plate shear walls, effectively control the location of plastic hinges, and prevent the formation of column mid-height plastic hinges. The ideal failure mechanism is achieved for steel frame-steel plate shear walls, namely weak plate strong frame, strong column weak beam. The double aseismic fortification aim is achieved.