Steel Plate Shear Wall (SPSW)

Steel Plate Shear Wall (SPSW)

Steel Plate Shear Wall (SPSW) which consist of steel infill plates bounded by boundary elements.

Advantages:

1. An SPW system, when designed and detailed properly, has relatively large energy dissipation capability with stable hysteretic behaviour, thus being very attractive for high risk earthquake zones.

2. Because the web tension field acts much like a diagonal brace, an SPW system has relatively high initial stiffness, and is thus very effective in limiting wind drift.

3. Compared to reinforced concrete shear walls, SPWs are much lighter, which ultimately reduces the demand on columns and foundations, and reduces the seismic load, which is proportional to the mass of the structure.

4. Compared to reinforced concrete construction, the erection process of an all-steel building is significantly faster, thus reducing the construction duration, which is an important factor affecting the overall cost of a project.

5. By using shop-welded, field-bolted SPWs, field inspection is improved and a high level of quality control can be achieved.

6. For architects, the increased versatility and space savings because of the smaller cross-section of SPWs, compared to reinforced concrete shear walls, is a distinct benefit, especially in high-rise buildings, where reinforced concrete shear walls in lower floors become very thick and occupy a large proportion of the floor plan.

7. All-steel construction with SPWs is a practical and efficient solution for cold regions where concrete construction may not be feasible, as very low temperatures complicate construction and freeze-thaw cycles can result in durability problems.

8. In seismic retrofit applications, SPWs are typically much easier and faster to install than reinforced concrete shear walls, which is a critical issue when building occupancy needs to be maintained throughout the construction time.

9. In the event of inelastic response, steel panels are more readily replaced, and repairs are otherwise more simple than for equivalent reinforced-concrete systems.

About Author:

I am Thomas Britto here to share my experiences in the civil engineering field to all my readers.Today many students are struggling to buy books at high prices. So I decided to start a blog and share my experience and knowledge with all my readers.

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