Cyclic Behavior of Multi-Row Slit Shear Walls Made from Low Yield Point Steel

Abstract

The steel slit shear wall has attracted much attention as a lateral force-resisting system. However, issues such as fractures formed at the slit ends and pinched hysteresis reduce energy dissipation. To address these issues, the authors have developed a steel slit shear wall made from low yield point steel that has a low yield stress and large ductility and strain hardening. Steel slit shear walls made from low-yield-point steel dissipated energy at small lateral drifts, shear deformation was evenly distributed among all rows, fracture was eliminated, and fat hysteresis without the requirement for out-of-plane constraints was feasible. By adjusting dimensions of the link (segment divided by slits) and the number of rows of links while maintaining the required shear strength and stiffness, a small width-to-thickness ratio for the links was achievable to ensure the in-plane behavior of links and thus good energy dissipation. The combined hardening model developed using commercially available software simulated well the large strain hardening of low-yield-point steel. A proposed design procedure that ensures good energy dissipation was given.