Steel-Plate Composite Walls: Local Buckling and Design for Axial Compression

Abstract

This paper focuses on local buckling and axial compressive behavior of steel-plate composite (SC) walls. SC walls are comprised of a concrete wall sandwiched between two steel faceplates on the surfaces. The steel faceplates are anchored to the concrete core using stud anchors and (or) ties and connected to each other using ties. When subjected to axial compression, the steel faceplates can undergo local buckling between the anchor points. The local buckling and axial compressive behavior of SC walls depend on the faceplate slenderness ratio, reinforcement ratio, and strength of steel and concrete materials. A database of axial compressive tests conducted around the world is compiled and analyzed to evaluate the influence of various parameters on the local buckling and axial compressive behavior of SC walls. Experimental investigations are conducted on nine SC wall specimens with a wide range of faceplate slenderness parameters to further evaluate the local buckling and axial compressive behavior of SC walls. The test results are discussed in detail and added to the existing database. Using the enhanced database, a design equation is proposed to calculate the axial compressive strength of SC walls. A standard reliability analysis is performed to calculate an appropriate strength reduction factor (ϕ) for the proposed equation.