TEST ON PANEL STIFFENING METHODS FOR STEEL SHEAR WALLS WITH SLITS

Investigated are the steel shear walls that have slits and are stiffened by wood panels. To examine the effects of various design parameters on the performance of the walls, a series of tests consisting of fourteen specimens are conducted. Material of stiffening panels, number of bolts to restrain the stiffening panels, coefficient of friction of the panel, and end detail of the slits are adopted as the test parameters. It is disclosed that the stiffness of the stiffening panels affects the degree of pinching in the cyclic behavior and the initiation and propagation of cracks initiated from the slit end controls the maximum strength. A good balance between the crack growth and out-of-plane deformation is found to be the key to achieve good performance of the walls as the shear resisting elements, and those stiffened by wood panels are more effective than those stiffened by steel panels.