Keywords: Steel plate shear walls (SPSW). Retrofitting. Seismic designs. Existing structures. Lateral force resisting systems. Moment strengths. Anchor beams. Multistory structures. Energy dissipation. Low yield strength (LYS) steel infill panels. Reduced beam sections (RBS). Finite element method (FEM). Connections.
Abstract: Steel plate shear walls (SPSWs) are investigated in this report, for use in retrofit and new design as a lateral force resisting system in building structures. An experimental program of single-story, single-bay SPSW frames is outlined and some results are presented. Analytical models utilizing the Finite Element Method (FEM) are developed to represent the specimens in the experimental program. Recommendations are made for the ductile design of the systems and for the use of RBS connections in SPSW anchor beams. A literature review, figures, appendices, and references are included.