Failure mechanism and hysteresis performance assessment of concrete-filled double-plate steel composite shear walls

This study investigates the current research gap in accurately predicting the cyclic hysteretic behavior of concrete-filled double-plate (CFDP) steel composite shear walls, for which existing numerical approaches often neglect passive confinement effects, cyclic steel hardening, and progressive concrete damage. Unlike previous studies that primarily rely on simplified constitutive models or monotonic loading, this work develops a detailed micro-finite element (MFE) hysteresis model in ABAQUS that explicitly captures local buckling, concrete cracking and crushing, unloading stiffness degradation, and the Bauschinger effect. The proposed model employs the Concrete Damaged Plasticity (CDP) formulation for confined concrete and a hybrid isotropic-kinematic hardening rule for steel, enabling realistic simulation of cyclic pinching and material degradation. Validation against experimental results demonstrates excellent agreement, with an average base-shear prediction error of only 1.6 %, confirming the model’s reliability. A comprehensive parametric study quantifies, for the first time, the coupled influence of wall aspect ratio and concrete compressive strength on seismic performance indicators including yield and ultimate strength, stiffness deterioration, ductility, cumulative energy dissipation, and equivalent viscous damping ratio. Results show that lower aspect ratios significantly enhance cyclic energy dissipation and ductility, whereas higher concrete strengths increase initial stiffness and peak lateral resistance. Equivalent viscous damping ratios of 25–33 % shown the superior hysteretic energy absorption of CFDP walls. This study provides failure analysis and preventive insights, aligning with focus on failure mechanisms, risk mitigation, and structural integrity in seismic design.