A Numerical Study on the Effect of Position and Number of Openings on the Performance of Composite Steel Shear Walls

Use of composite steel shear walls (CSSW) in earthquake-resistant structures has grown in recent years. However, no thorough information exists on their performance, especially in cases where openings are present. In the present study, in order to first validate the analysis method, ABAQUS was used to model the studied composite shear wall with gap at UC-Berkeley, according to the results of which, a good agreement between the experimental and analytical models was observed. Then, the effect of the position and number of the openings on the performance of the walls was addressed. To this end, models with various openings, including openings close to the beam/column, horizontal/vertical openings and distributing opening, were prepared and analyzed. The results indicate that the maximum reduction in stiffness and strength occurred in walls with single openings. The size of opening and the opening's area significantly affect shear wall performance. Ultimately, artificial neural network and fitness function tools were employed to obtain predictive models for shear wall performance. A neural network has proven an appropriate alternative method for predicting the displacement, stress, and strength of the composite shear wall.

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