This research will focus on developing a better understanding of the seismic response of hybrid wall systems through detailed inelastic dynamic analyses. Two types of hybrid wall systems will be considered, a) structural systems comprised of solid or perforated reinforced concrete shear walls and steel moment frames, and b) structural systems comprised of steel-girder-coupled shear walls and steel moment frames. The investigation includes three interrelated components. The first component will focus on development of and existing finite element program to include wall finite elements capable of simulating the complex behavior of wall panels. The second part involves the design of a number of prototype hybrid wall systems using currently existing provisions. The third component involves conducting a large number of inelastic dynamic analyses using the developed analytical tools. The analyses will concentrate on 1) identifying the optimal degree of coupling between coupled shear walls, 2) shedding more light on the interaction between shear walls and moment frames, 3) establishing design oriented methods for determining the distribution of forces in the walls and frames, 3) establishing design oriented methods for determining the distribution of forces in the walls and frames, and 4) assessing currently recommended provisions for the design of hybrid wall systems and their components.
One of the most important products of this project will be the determination of performance measures for different levels of earthquake loading and for different limit states of structural behavior. This data will be invaluable for the future development of performance based designed criteria for hybrid wall systems.
This project is supported under the 4th year competition of initiative NSF 94-154.
