Analysis and design of steel plate walls: experimental evaluation

In this paper, the effectiveness of the Modified Plate-Frame Interaction (M-PFI) model is evaluated by comparing its outcomes against those from experimental results obtained from a number of steel plate walls (SPWs) tested at different universities. As a result of the comparison, the M-PFI model was found to provide satisfactory predictions for SPW specimens constructed with steel plates welded to column and beam members. The M-PFI model was able to predict the initial stiffness, as well as to evaluate whether the boundary members of the SPW have sufficient capacity to allow for the infill plate to yield entirely. However, the model was found to underestimate the ultimate capacity of the SPW system mainly because, among other reasons, the material model used for its underlying theory is the elastic - perfectly plastic material model.