Behavior and mechanisms of steel plate shear walls with coupling

The Steel Plate Shear Wall with Coupling (SPSW-WC) system consists of a pair of planar SPSWs linked together with coupling beams at the floor levels. The degree of coupling, which represents the level of interaction between the two piers, and the plastic strength for a SPSW-WC are important parameters in understanding behavior and developing designs for the system. This paper examines these two parameters using plastic analysis and numerical simulations of single story and multi-story SPSW-WC configurations. The focus is on desirable uniform-yielding mechanisms, but soft-story mechanisms are also briefly discussed, and analytical closed-form expressions are developed for ultimate strength and degree of coupling. Thirty-two SPSW-WC structures are designed with emphasis on varying the following parameters: height of the structure (number of stories), coupled length and coupling beam properties. These structures are studied with numerical models using monotonic nonlinear static analysis. Good agreement is observed between the numerical simulations and the analytical predictions for the ultimate strength and degree of coupling. The degree of coupling is shown to have a significant impact on structural weight, particularly for the taller structures studied, and the optimal degree of coupling to maximize material efficiency is found to be in the range of 0.4 to 0.6.

► Behavior of steel plate shear walls with coupling is investigated using plastic analysis.
► Closed-form analytical expressions predict degree of coupling and ultimate strength.
► A suite of prototype structures are designed and numerical models are developed.
► Nonlinear static analysis agrees well with the analytical predictions.
► The optimal degree of coupling for material efficiency is in the range 0.4 to 0.6.