Global shear stability capacity of trapezoidally corrugated steel plate shear walls with boundary elements

Engineering practice has demonstrated that a trapezoidally corrugated steel plate shear wall (TCSPSW) with vertical boundary elements (VBEs) offers an effective solution for resisting lateral forces, particularly when connected solely with beams in pin-ended frames for the convenient installation of windows or doors. However, despite its practical benefits, currently there is a lack of research on the global shear stability capacity design of the TCSPSW with VBEs (TCSPSW-VBE). This paper aims to investigate the global shear stability capacity of TCSPSW-VBE, considering geometric nonlinearity and material elastoplasticity through finite element analyses (FEA). Firstly, the global elastic shear buckling load of TCSPSW with two vertical boundaries simply supported and two top and bottom boundaries fully clamped is determined and a concise formula for predicting the global elastic buckling load is proposed. Then, the ultimate shear-bearing strength factor of TCSPSWs is established by introducing the normalized height-to-thickness ratio. Moreover, the interaction between the TCSPSW and the VBEs is analyzed theoretically and numerically, involving the contribution of the VBEs to the shear-bearing capacity and restraining action of the VBEs on the TCSPSW. It is found that the shear-bearing capacity of TCSPSW-VBE could be superimposed by the contribution of the TCSPSW and VBEs alone. This study also explores the lower limits of strength and stiffness of VBEs and investigates the reduction caused by the fishplate connections with frame beams on the shear-bearing capacity of TCSPSW-VBE. The reduction factor from the fishplate connections is related to the torsional stiffness of the fishplate, reflecting the constraint provided by the fishplates. The design formulas proposed in this paper agree well with the FEA results and can be utilized in the design of TCSPSW-VBE.