Effects of the steel plate thickness on the behavior of steel plate shear walls

Steel plate shear walls (SPSWs) have been considered as a lateral resisting system in recent years. The reasons for openings in SPSWs include architectural requirements and non-structural considerations, e.g. passing installation systems. The present study analyzed twelve SPSWs with a circular opening by considering cross stiffeners with and without openings. To this end, cross stiffener-reinforced SPSWs with openings were studied. To validate the finite element (FE) modeling results, they were compared to those of an experimental model. It was concluded that a large thickness and reinforcement of an SPSW enhanced its strength and stiffness, but reduced its out-of-plane buckling. The results revealed that a cross stiffener had a large contribution to the enhancement of the shear capacity and stiffness of the system. Moreover, cross stiffener reinforcement was observed to have a proper performance in controlling out-of-plane displacements and stress distribution in the wall filler plate.