A simple model for nonlinear analysis of steel plate shear wall structural systems

Summary This paper presents a simple and efficient analytical model for nonlinear response analysis of steel plate shear wall (SPSW) structural systems. The proposed model combines individual contributions of the boundary frame and the infill plate. It includes a nonlinear spring element that simulates the global response of the infill plate. The load‐deformation characteristic of this element is defined by a backbone curve and the pinched oriented Ibarra–Krawinkler hysteretic model. SPSW panels in the proposed model are differentiated as intermediate and end panels with two different backbone curves. Based on the theory of pure diagonal tension and experimental data, a basic backbone curve is first developed for the intermediate panel. For the end panel where the strength and stiffness of the infill plate are adversely affected by the flexibility of the anchor beam (the horizontal boundary element at the free end), the basic backbone curve is modified using appropriate strength and stiffness reduction factors. These factors are found by incorporating the strain energy of the anchor beam in the strain energy formulation of the theory of pure diagonal tension. Experimental results on several large‐scale SPSW specimens indicate that the proposed model reliably predicts the hysteretic behavior of SPSW structural systems.