Cyclic behaviors of steel plate shear wall with self-centering energy dissipation braces

The present study develops and numerically verifies a new type of earthquake resilient system. The proposed system combines a steel plate shear wall with infill panel connected to beams only and pre-pressed spring self-centering energy dissipation (PS-SCED) braces that provide the self-centering and additional energy dissipation capabilities. The mechanics of this system is explained and the equations governing its stiffness and strength are also presented. A simplified model is proposed to simulate the hysteretic behaviors of the PS-SCED braces, and comparisons with experimental results demonstrate that the proposed model can effectively describe the hysteretic responses of the bracing system. The hysteretic behaviors of the proposed system and the effects of the infill panel and the PS-SCED braces parameters on the system performance under cyclic loadings are analyzed. Results indicate that the proposed system exhibits a flag-shaped hysteretic response with large stiffness, high strength, excellent self-centering and energy dissipation capabilities. The initial stiffness and yield force of the system are well predicted by the governing equations. The energy dissipation capability of the system is mainly affected by the PS-SCED braces, and the system with the self-centering ratio of 0.7 or more can limit the residual deformation to the tolerance for new steel building when the inter-story drift ratio reaches 2%.