Lateral Force Resistance of Full‐Scale Internally Stiffened Double Steel Plate Shear Wall Connected on Both Sides

ABSTRACT This study developed an energy‐dissipating, internally stiffened double steel plate shear wall (DSPSW) to mitigate the “pinching” effect commonly observed in steel plate shear walls. Finite element analyses of 36 full‐scale DSPSWs with varying width‐to‐height and height‐to‐thickness ratios were conducted using ABAQUS. Based on the results, full‐scale DSPSW specimens were designed according to the width‐to‐height ratios ( L / H ) of the embedded steel plates and subjected to low‐cycle horizontal loading tests. Subsequently, finite element analyses were performed on these test specimens. The results demonstrate that the hysteresis curves of the new DSPSWs are full, with a significant improvement in mitigating the “pinching” effect, thereby showcasing excellent energy dissipation capacity. Compared with unstiffened steel plate shear walls, the DSPSWs exhibited substantially improved shear resistance. A comparative study examined the effects of width‐to‐height ratios, height‐to‐thickness ratios, and side ribs on the DSPSWs. The findings indicate that width‐to‐height and height‐to‐width ratios had a pronounced influence on average shear stress. As the width‐to‐height ratio increased, the average shear stress gradually decreased, whereas an increase in the aspect ratio led to a gradual increase in average shear stress, with the rate of change diminishing over time. Side ribs enhanced the peak load capacity of the DSPSWs, though their effects diminished at higher width‐to‐height ratios. The ratio of peak average shear stress to yield average shear stress remained consistent, ranging from 1.17 to 1.21, with an average value of 1.19, regardless of variations in height‐to‐thickness or width‐to‐height ratios. A formula for calculating the yield average shear stress of DSPSWs was proposed, accurately predicting the yield shear stress for L / H values between 1/3 and 2.0 and λ values between 200 and 750. Test results revealed that all specimens achieved ultimate drift ratios exceeding 1/35, with a minimum ductility coefficient of 7.82, highlighting exceptional ductility. Simulated hysteresis and skeleton curves closely aligned with experimental results, validating the accuracy of the finite element model developed to simulate the behavior of DSPSWs under loading conditions.