Structural performance of unstiffened low yield point steel plate shear walls

Employment of low-yield stress steel plates in shear wall systems has been demonstrated in a number of studies to be a promising alternative for improving the buckling stability, energy absorption capacity, and serviceability of these lateral force-resisting systems, in which material yielding of infill plates may occur either before or after or even at the same time as geometrical buckling. Accordingly, based on their slenderness parameter as well as buckling and yielding behavior, infill plates in steel shear wall systems may be divided into slender, moderate, and stocky categories with respective early buckling, concurrent buckling and yielding, and early yielding characteristics. Such a classification enables the accurate evaluation of buckling and yielding behavior of low yield point steel plate shear walls, which can consequently result in efficient structural and economical design of these lateral force-resisting as well as energy dissipating systems. On this basis, this paper assesses the structural behavior as well as plate–frame interaction characteristics of unstiffened low yield point steel plate shear wall systems via finite element and analytical approaches. Following the experimental validation of the numerical modeling, advantages of use of low yield point steel as compared to the conventional steel are demonstrated. Subsequently, the structural performances of code-designed shear walls with slender, moderate, and stocky low yield point steel infill plates are evaluated comparatively. Finally, the effectiveness of a modified plate–frame interaction (PFI) model in predicting the response of steel shear wall systems with moderate and stocky infill plates is demonstrated. •SPSWs can be effectively retrofitted using LYP steel infill plates.•Plate thickness corresponding to concurrent buckling and yielding is determined.•LYP steel shear walls possess relatively high buckling and low yielding capacities.•Modified PFI model is used to predict the response of LYP steel shear walls.•LYP steel shear walls possess high stiffening and damping performances.