In the self-centering steel plate shear wall (SC-SPSW) system, thin steel web plates provide the primary lateral strength and energy dissipation, while posttensioned connections in the boundary frame provide recentering and mitigate frame damage. In most steel plate shear walls (SPSWs), web plates are connected to the beams and columns; however, connecting the web plates to the beams only has been proposed as a means of reducing boundary frame demands and mitigating web plate damage. This paper investigates the impact of using beam-only-connected web plates on SC-SPSW design and seismic performance. Expressions for determining beam demands for purposes of design are developed. Three-and nine-story prototype SC-SPSWs are designed using beam-onl-connected web plates and are compared with equivalent SC-SPSWs designs with fully-connected web plates. To evaluate the potential for material savings, the weight of steel required for each system is compared. The seismic performance of the SC-SPSWs with beam-only-connected and fully-connected web plates are compared using results of nonlinear response history analyses in which relatively simple, yet conservative, modeling techniques are employed.
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