Shear wall systems are one of the most commonly used lateral-load resisting systems in high-rise buildings. This paper concentrates on the experimental studies of two composite shear wall systems and presents a summary and discussion of test results. Composite shear wall system studied herein consists of a steel boundary frame and a steel plate shear wall with a reinforced concrete wall attached to one side. The steel plate shear wall is welded to the boundary frame and connected to the reinforced concrete wall by bolts. In the system called "traditional" the reinforced concrete wall is in direct contact with the boundary steel frame, while in the system called "innovative" there is a gap in between. Cyclic static tests were conducted on two half-scale specimens representing each system and both specimens showed highly ductile and stable inelastic behavior. The specimens were able to tolerate more than 17 cycles of inelastic shear displacements and reach maximum inter-story drift of more than 0.05. Inter-story drift herein is defined as lateral movement of the floor divided by the story height. Composite action of the steel and the reinforced concrete walls was ensured by the connecting bolts, which braced the steel plate shear wall and prevented its overall buckling. After shear yielding of steel plate, inelastic local buckling of steel plate shear wall occurred in the areas between the bolts. The experimental results and their implication in seismic design are summarized and discussed.
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