Hysteresis analysis of the steel plate shear wall with partial connection Abaqus

Product Overview

In this example, we intend to simulate the cyclic behaviour of a partially connected steel plate shear wall (SPSW) using the Abaqus software.

Steel plate shear walls are widely used as lateral load resisting systems in seismic regions due to their high stiffness, ductility, and energy dissipation capacity. In this project, a novel partially connected SPSW system is modeled, where the steel infill plate is connected to the boundary frame members only at the corner regions while the middle portions remain unconnected.

The numerical model is developed based on the configuration and experimental study reported in the reference paper. The model is subjected to cyclic loading to investigate its nonlinear structural response and hysteretic behavior.

The Abaqus results are compared with the results reported in the reference paper to evaluate the accuracy of the numerical model.

Model Description

The model represents a steel plate shear wall with partial connection based on the configuration described in the reference research paper.

In this model, the steel plate is not fully connected to the surrounding structural frame. A partial connection is considered in the numerical model according to the configuration used in the reference study.

In this model, the beams and columns are connected using hinges.

In this project, the SPSW2 specimen is simulated in Abaqus. The steel infill plate has a thickness of 3.2 mm.

The required geometry, material properties, interactions, boundary conditions, and analysis settings are defined in Abaqus to reproduce the structural behavior of the reference model.

Buckling Analysis and Initial Imperfection

The first buckling mode obtained from an eigenvalue buckling analysis is used to define the imperfection pattern for the subsequent nonlinear analysis.

The obtained buckling mode is then used to introduce an initial geometric imperfection into the numerical model.

An initial geometric imperfection is introduced into the Abaqus model to account for the initial out-of-plane deformation of the steel plate.

This procedure helps the numerical model reproduce the initial imperfections considered in the structural analysis.

Cyclic Loading

The steel plate shear wall is subjected to cyclic loading according to the loading protocol used in the reference study.

The loading history is defined using the Amplitude option in Abaqus.

The model is then analyzed under repeated loading and unloading cycles to investigate its nonlinear hysteretic response.

Hysteresis Results

The force and displacement results obtained from Abaqus are extracted and processed to obtain the force–displacement hysteresis curve.

The numerical hysteresis response is then compared with the results reported in the reference paper.

Steel Plate Buckling and Out-of-Plane Deformation

Under cyclic loading, the steel plate develops significant out-of-plane deformation as the drift level increases. The Abaqus simulation captures the development of out-of-plane buckling in the steel plate and the formation of approximately four buckling half-waves.

The numerical deformation pattern is consistent with the buckling behavior observed in the experimental study, providing a useful comparison between the Abaqus simulation and the experimental response.

Validation

The numerical results obtained from Abaqus are compared with the results reported in the reference research paper.

The comparison focuses on the force–displacement hysteresis response and the overall structural behavior under cyclic loading.

This comparison is used to evaluate how accurately the numerical model reproduces the behavior reported in the reference study.

Key Features

• Steel plate shear wall with partial connection.
• Detailed modeling of the partial connection.
• Buckling analysis.
• Initial geometric imperfection based on buckling mode.
• Cyclic loading using the Amplitude option.
• Nonlinear analysis under cyclic loading.
• Force–displacement hysteresis response.
• Processing of Abaqus results using Excel.
• Comparison with reference results.
• Complete Abaqus model files.
• Excel files for cyclic loading and numerical results.
• Reference research paper.
• Step-by-step video tutorial.

What You Will Learn

• How to model a steel plate shear wall with partial connection in Abaqus.
• How to define the geometry of the structural components.
• How to define the material properties of the model.
• How to define the partial connection of the steel plate.
• How to define the required interactions and constraints.
• How to define the boundary conditions.
• How to perform a buckling analysis.
• How to obtain buckling modes from Abaqus.
• How to define an initial geometric imperfection using a buckling mode.
• How to define cyclic loading using the Amplitude option in Abaqus.
• How to perform nonlinear analysis under cyclic loading.
• How to obtain a force–displacement hysteresis curve.
• How to extract and process Abaqus results using Excel.
• How to compare numerical and reference results.

Reference

This project is based on the research study provided in the reference paper.

The paper is included with the project files and can be used to review the structural configuration, partial connection, loading protocol, and reported results.