Application of Indirect Capacity Design Principles for Seismic Design of Steel-Plate Shear Walls

Abstract

This paper presents a capacity design procedure that aims to achieve good seismic performance for steel-plate shear walls and improve the overall economy of the system. The proposed method uses indirect capacity design principles to identify the infill plates most likely to yield in the design earthquake. Linear models of the boundary columns are used to determine the column design forces. The proposed method is used for the design of two 4-story and one 8-story steel-plate shear walls. Design axial forces and moments in the boundary columns for the three different steel-plate shear walls are compared with nonlinear seismic analysis results, and the results of the proposed procedure are shown to be in good agreement with those of the nonlinear analyses. For comparison, the paper also evaluates other capacity design approaches that have been proposed in the literature.