Experimental and numerical investigations on cyclic performance of L-shaped-CFT column frame-buckling restrained and unrestrained steel plate shear walls with partial double-side/four corner connections

L-shaped concrete-filled tubes (CFTs) column is adopted in frame-buckling restrained and unrestrained steel plate shear walls (BRSPSWs and SPSWs) to enhance the lateral performance of high-rise buildings. Four single-bay, two-story specimens are tested under cyclic quasi-static loads. Partial double-side and four-corner connection types connect the steel plate with beams and columns. To deeply analyze the buckling behavior of the steel plates, concrete panels are installed on both sides of the steel plates for two specimens. Moreover, the concrete infill and panels were made from recycled aggregate concrete (RAC). The hysteretic curves corresponding to failure modes and characteristic capacities are reported and examined. The outcomes infer that both SPSWs and BRSPSWs reflect excellent seismic behavior. Double-side connection improves ductility, energy consumption and displacement, while the four-corner greatly contributes to the bearing capacity and stiffness. Besides, sandwiching the steel plates with concrete panels grooves the buckling of the steel plates, so the characteristic capacities are influenced moderately. In addition, the four tested specimens’ hysteretic responses and failure patterns are emulated using the finite element (FE) application ABAQUS and compared to test results. The FE modeling method can simulate the failure modes and loaddisplacement curves. Based on validated FE models, out-of-plane and equivalent plastic strains are deeply discussed to reflect the effect of connection forms and the use of concrete panels on bucking restrained and overall seismic behavior. Parametric analyses are performed to investigate the key factors on the overall cycle performance of BRSPSWs. The parametric analyses imply that varying the configuration of steel plates impacts the bearing capacity and stiffness significantly, whereas modifying the concrete panels influences the characteristic capacities slightly. Furthermore, the columns expose excessive damage with increasing the axial compression ratio; hence, the overall seismic performance is impacted negatively. Ultimately, a design method of yield-bearing capacity is suggested and compared to the test and FE model results, showing excellent agreement.