Seismic performance of high- lateral force resistance modular steel building with buckling-restrained steel plate shear wall: Analytical and numerical study

This paper proposes a high- lateral force resistance and energy-dissipating modular steel building with buckling-restrained steel plate shear wall (hereafter referred to as the MSB-BRSPSW). The energy-dissipating modular unit of MSB-BRSPSW comprises a BRSPSW integrated with the module frame. The BRSPSW is connected to ceiling and floor beams (functioning as horizontal boundary elements) and interior columns (functioning as vertical boundary elements, hereafter referred to as the VBEs) in the modular unit. The vertical continuity of VBEs is maintained through inter-module connections (hereafter referred to as the VBE connections), This configuration enables a larger proportion of lateral forces to transfer to the BRSPSW, which enhance the lateral force resistance and energy dissipation capacity of the MSB-BRSPSW. This study aims to investigate the effects of different VBE connections and the stiffness ratio of ceiling and floor beams on the mechanical characteristics and failure mechanism of MSB-BRSPSW. Numerical analysis demonstrates that the VBE connections can effectively transfer loads to the BRSPSW and improve the lateral resistance of the MSB-BRSPSW. Furthermore, variations in VBE connection forms influence structural mechanical characteristics and failure mechanisms. An adequate stiffness ratio of ceiling and floor beams is essential to maintain the ductility and energy dissipation capacity of the MSB-BRSPSW during extreme seismic loading. Based on the mechanical characteristics of MSB-BRSPSW, a simplified finite element analysis model of MSB-BRSPSW is established, and the simulation results closely match the experimental results and refined finite element model results. It is shown that the simplified finite element model can effectively predict the mechanical behavior of the BRSPSWs integrated with the module frame and simulate different VBE connections between modular units.