Numerical investigation of the seismic performance of steel shear plate walls reinforced with cross-shaped and circular stiffeners
Steel plate shear walls are among the most promising lateral load-resisting systems. However, a major drawback of this system is that the thin steel plate infill is susceptible to buckling under its own weight or when exposed to seismic loads. To solve this problem, stiffeners are effectively employed. In this study, steel plate shear wall models incorporating perpendicular and horizontal cross-shaped and circular configurations were investigated. Finite element models of frame structures, comprising steel plate infill along with adjacent beams and columns, were developed in ANSYS and validated against experimental data from the scholarly literature. The numerical model demonstrated excellent agreement with published experimental results. After confirming model accuracy and material suitability, a series of 3-span, 5-story frame models, was generated to evaluate the effects of stiffener quantity (0, 2, 3, and 4) and configuration. To this end, pushover analyses were performed, and the resulting capacity curves were plotted. These curves were subsequently idealized following Federal Emergency Management Agency recommendations, and seismic parameters – including ductility factor, response modification factor, stiffness, and shear capacity – were thoroughly examined. In addition, cyclic loading analyses were performed by applying incremental displacements at the roof level, and the corresponding energy dissipation capacities were determined. The results indicate that steel plate shear walls with circular reinforcements exhibit a ductility factor of 29.41, whereas those with cross-shaped stiffeners have a ductility factor of 17.10, indicating the superior ductility performance of circular stiffeners. However, cross-shaped stiffeners outperform circular stiffeners in terms of shear capacity, reaching 5,815 kN compared to 4,020 kN. In addition, the highest stiffness value (921.5 kN/mm) was observed in the hybrid model incorporating both cross and circular stiffeners. Optimization analysis revealed that four perpendicular circular stiffeners yield the maximum energy dissipation capacity, while three circular stiffeners optimize ductility, response modification factor, and shear strength.
Astaneh-Asl, A. (2001). Seismic Behavior and Design of Steel Shear Walls. Moraga, CA: Structural Steel Educational Council.
Bai, J., Huang, J., Chen, H., Xu, L., Wang, Y. H., & Jin, S. (2022). Loading protocols for seismic qualification of steel plate shear walls. Structures, 38:848-860. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2022.02.020
Basler, K. (1961). Strength of plate girders in shear. Journal of the Structural Division, 87(7):151-180. https://doi.org/10.1061/JSDEAG.000069
Beyranvand, S., & Hosseini, M. (2022). Studying the effect of thickness, diameter, and arrangement of hemispherical ridges in steel shear walls. Journal of Civil Engineering and Structures, 6(1):13-17. https://doi.org/10.21859/jces.6142
Chen, Z., Amer, M., Du, Y., Mashrah, W. A. H., Zhao, B., & Huang, J. (2023). Experimental and numerical study on seismic performance of square and l-shaped Concrete-filled steel tubes column Frame-Buckling steel plate shear walls. Engineering Structures, 274:115155. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2022.115155
Driver, R. G., Kulak, G. L., Kennedy, D. L., & Elwi, A. E. (1998). Cyclic test of four-story steel plate shear wall. Journal of Structural Engineering, 124(2):112-120. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9445(1998)124:2(112)
Ebadi-Jamkhaneh, M., & Kontoni, D. P. N. (2022). Numerical finite element investigation of thin steel shear walls retrofitted with CFRP layers under reversed cyclic loading. Journal of Building Pathology and Rehabilitation, 7(1):62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41024-022-00200-2
Elgaaly, M., & Liu, Y. (1997). Analysis of thin-steel-plate shear walls. Journal of Structural Engineering, 123(11):1487-1496. h t t p s : / / d o i . o r g / 1 0 . 1 0 6 1 / ( A S C E ) 0 7 3 3 - 9445(1997)123:11(1487)
Es’haghioskui, F., Asl, M. H., Hosseinzadeh, Y., & Gallego, E. (2023). Experimental and numerical investigation of a new type of steel plate shear wall with diagonal tension field guiding stiffeners. Journal of Building Engineering, 76:107181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2023.107181
Ghamari, A., & Johari Naeimi, A. (2023). Investigating the seismic behaviour of high-performance steel plate shear walls. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers-Structures and Buildings, 176(3):177-189. https://doi.org/10.1680/jstbu.20.00108
Hao, J., Li, S., Tian, W., & Wu, X. (2023). Seismic performance of coupled steel plate shear wall with slits. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 201:107674. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcsr.2022.107674
Je Too, R. Y., & Isoda, H. (2023). Seismic performance of CLT shear wall infilled hybrid steel frames with concealed steel plates and drift pin connections. Journal of Structural Engineering, 149(9):04023111. https://doi.org/10.1061/JSENDH.STENG-12074
Labibzadeh, M., & Khayat, M. (2023). Damage assessment of stiffened steel plate shear walls with different configurations under far-fault and near-fault ground motions. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 200:107685. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcsr.2022.107685
Lubell, A. S., Prion, H. G., Ventura, C. E., & Rezai, M. (2000). Unstiffened steel plate shear wall performance under cyclic loading. Journal of structural Engineering, 126(4):453-460. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9445(2000)126:4(453)
Mimura, H., & Akiyama, H. (1977). Load-deflection relationship of earthquake resistant steel shear walls with a developed diagonal tension field. Transactions of AIJ, 260:109-114. https://doi.org/10.3130/AIJSAXX.260.0_109
Nayel, I. H., Broujerdian, V., & Ghamari, A. (2022). Investigating the behavior of semi-supported steel plate shear walls compounded of two flat and two corrugated plates: A numerical and parametrical study. International Journal of Civil Engineering, 20(10):1197-1210. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40999-022-00726-z
Newmark, N. M., & Hall, W. J. (1982). Earthquake Spectra and Design. Engineering Monographs On Earthquake Criteria. Oakland, CA: Earthquake Engineering Research Institute.
Parvizi, M., Fathi, M., Zamani, S. S. M., Shakib, H., & Karami, A. (2022). Experimental and numerical study of concrete frames with steel plate shear walls. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 196:107404. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcsr.2022.107404
Qiao, W., Zhang, X., Xu, Q., & Wang, G. (2023). Seismic performance of thin-walled steel and concrete composite column-corrugated steel shear wall structure. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 201:107745. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcsr.2022.107745
Sabouri-Ghomi, S., & Gholhaki, M. (2008). Ductility of thin steel plate shear walls. Asian Journal of Civil Engineering (Building and Housing), 9(2):153-166. https://doi.org/10.1061/41016(314)109
Shi, Y., Luo, Z., Xu, Y., Zou, Y., Xu, L., & Ma, Q. (2022). Experimental study on the seismic behavior of high-performance cold-formed steel plate shear walls. Engineering Structures, 251:113552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2021.113552
Takahashi, Y., Takemoto, Y., Takeda, T., & Takagi, M. (1973). Experimental study on thin steel shear walls and particular bracings under alternative horizontal load. In: Preliminary Report, IABSE, Symp. On Resistance and Ultimate Deformability of Tsructures Acted on by Well-defined Repeated Loads. Lisbon, Portugal: IABSE, p. 185-191. https://doi.org/10.5169/seals-13766
Thorburn, L. J., Montgomery, C. J., & Kulak, G. L. (1983). Analysis of Steel Plate Shear Walls. Structural Engineering Report No. 107. Edmonton, Alta: Department of Civil Engineering, University of Alberta.
Wagner, H. (1931). Flat Sheet Metal Girders with Very Thin Metal Web. Part I: General Theories and Assumptions (No. NACA-TM-604). Available from: https://hdl.handle. net/2060/19930094812 [Last accessed on 2025 Mar 18].
Wang, W., Quan, C. C., Li, Y., Zhen, G. K., & Zhao, H. T. (2022). Experimental study and numerical simulation analysis on seismic performance of corrugated steel-plate shear wall with replaceable bottom corner dampers. Soil Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering, 152:107061. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soildyn.2021.107061
Wu, Y., Fan, S., Zhou, H., Guo, Y., & Wu, Q. (2022). Cyclic behaviour of diagonally stiffened stainless steel plate shear walls with two-side connections: Experiment, simulation and design. Engineering Structures, 268:114756. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2022.114756
Xing, Y., Wang, W., Ou, Y., Jiang, X., & Al-azzani, H. (2022). Seismic behavior of steel truss and concrete composite shear wall with double X-shaped braces. Journal of Building Engineering, 62:105399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2022.105399
Yang, J., Sun, C., Xu, X., Fang, Y., & Sun, B. (2023). Experimental study on seismic behavior of a new precast shear wall system with angle steel connectors. Structures, 52:30-41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2023.03.166
Yu, J. G., Zhu, S. Q., & Feng, X. T. (2023). Seismic behavior of CFRP-steel composite plate shear wall with edge reinforcement. Journal of Constructional Steel Research, 203:107816. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcsr.2023.107816
Zhang, J., Liu, J., Zhang, D., & Huang, X. (2022). Hysteretic behavior of high-performance frame-shear wall composite structure with high-strength steel bars. Journal of Building Engineering, 45(3):103416. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jobe.2021.103416
Zhang, Y., Huang, Z., Liu, Z., Jin, B., & Wang, Y. (2022). Seismic behaviour of prefabricated self-centring steel frames with different energy dissipation devices. Structures, 38:502-518. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.istruc.2021.12.081