Experimental study and numerical simulation on the seismic behavior of diagonally stiffened stainless steel plate shear walls under low cyclic loading

To expand the application scope of stainless steel, especially in the seismic resistance, a series of systematic studies from material to members were carried out. A mechanical property test of S30408 austenitic stainless steel under monotonic loading and cyclic loading was conducted first. Then, a low cyclic loading test of 8 diagonally stiffened steel plate shear walls (SPSWs), including 6 stainless SPSWs, 1 LY100 low-yield-strength SPSW and 1 Q235 SPSW, was carried out. The failure modes, hysteresis curves, skeleton curves, ductility coefficient and equivalent viscous damping ratio-displacement angle curves of different SPSWs were compared. The mechanical behavior, energy dissipation and failure mechanism were revealed. The test results showed that the ductility of stainless SPSWs was the greatest. An effective tension field was formed after buckling. Even if the displacement angle exceeded 1/50, a good bearing capacity was displayed. A corner tearing for the LY100 and Q235 SPSWs occurred in the late stage of loading, resulting in a failure to form a reliable tension field. A notable decline in bearing capacity occurred, and the ductility was poor. The energy dissipation of the stainless SPSWs was better than that of the Q235 SPSW but slightly worse than that of the LY100 SPSW. Considering the limitation of the test, such as the limitation of the specimen number and the range of the investigation parameters, a refined finite element model was established and a parametric analysis was conducted, mainly considering the influence of aspect ratio α, height-thickness ratio λ, stiffness ratio of periphery stiffener ηf and stiffness ratio of diagonal stiffener ηs on the hysteretic performance. The research carried out herein offers a reliable reference for this new lateral force resisting structure and provides data for subsequent research, which is helpful to promote the application of stainless SPSWs in building structures.