A numerical study on response factors for steel wall–frame systems

A numerical investigation was undertaken to evaluate the response of dual structural systems that consisting of steel plate shear walls and moment‐resisting frames. The primary objective of the study was to investigate the influence of elastic base shear distribution between the wall and the frame on the global system response. A total of 10 walls and 30 wall–frame systems, ranging from 3 to 15 stories, were selected for numerical assessment. These systems represent cases in which the elastic base shear resisted by the frame has a share of 10, 25, or 50% of the total base shear resisted by the dual system. The numerical study consisted of 1600 time history analyses employing three‐dimensional finite elements. All 40 structures were separately analyzed for elastic and inelastic response by subjecting them to the selected suite of earthquake records. Interstory drifts, top story drift, base shears resisted by the wall, and the frame were collected during each analysis. Based on the analysis results, important response quantities, such as the strength reduction, the overstrength, and the displacement amplification factors, are evaluated herein. Results are presented in terms of displacement measures, such as the interstory drift ratio and the top story drift ratio. Analysis results revealed that the increase in the strength reduction factor with the amount of load share is insignificant. Furthermore, there is an inverse relationship between the ductility reduction and the overtsrength. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.