EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON PREFABRICATED SELF-CENTERINGSTEEL FRAMES WITH SLIT STEEL PLATE SHEAR WALLS

It proposed a new prefabricated self-centering steel frame with slit steel plate shear walls. A low-cycle reciprocated static loading test of the new structure was designed and conducted to study the stiffness, energy dissipation performance, failure mode and self-centering capacity. The results show that the prefabricated self-centering steel frame had favorable gap opening and closing mechanism and could automatically re-center after the earthquake. The function of the main structure could be efficiently restored by replacing the slit steel plate shear walls. The structure possessed high initial stiffness and good energy dissipation capacity. Under horizontal loads, the slit steel plate shear wall was able to dissipate energy through the development of buckling and thus effectively protected the prefabricated self-centering steel frame. At the elastoplastic interstory drift limit of 0.02 rad (1/50) stipulated in the code, the prefabricated self-centering steel frame was essentially in the elastic state with small residual opening. During the test, the maximum cable force was far less than the yield force, which provided a good foundation for the structure to withstand a greater earthquake action.