Special perforated steel plate shear walls with reduced beam section anchor beams. I: Experimental investigation

This paper presents results of an experimental investigation of specially detailed ductile perforated steel plate shear walls (SPSWs) designed to accommodate utility passage, and having anchor beams with reduced beam sections connections. Single-story, single-bay SPSW frames are subjected to quasi-static cyclic loading up to their maximum strength and displacement capacity. The tested specimens also had low yield strength steel infill panels. Two specimens make allowances for penetration of the panel by utilities. The first, having multiple holes specially laid out in the steel panel, also has the characteristic of reduced panel strength and stiffness compared to the corresponding SPSW having a solid panel. The second such specimen utilizes quarter-circle cutouts in the panel corners, which are reinforced to transfer the panel forces to the adjacent framing. A SPSW with solid panel is also tested for reference purposes. All specimens resisted an imposed input history of increasing displacements to a minimum drift of 3%. The perforated panel reduced the elastic stiffness and overall strength of the specimen by 15% as compared with the solid panel specimen.