Currently, the design of steel plate shear walls is based on the elastic buckling as the limiting condition. This design criterion results not only in an uneconomical design but a system in which the building columns may yield and/or buckle under a major earthquake before the plate panels develop a fraction of their strength. The results from this project will be used to provide analytical tools and a guide to design criteria for thin steel plate shear walls under seismic loads, which take into consideration the post-buckling strength of the plate. One-quarter scale, one bay, three story thin steel plate shear walls will be tested. The effects of cutouts in the plate representing doors and window placement, the method the plate is connected to the building frame, and the effect of the axial compression in the columns will be investigated in this experimental program. The test results are expected to show stable hysterisis loops and high energy absorbing capabilities of thin- plate-shear-wall system as a viable earthquake-resistant structural element. Results of this project are expected to add new insights on the performance of thin steel plate shear walls in areas of high seismic risk.
