R-Factors for Coupled Composite Plate Shear Walls-Concrete Filled (Coupled-CPSW/CF)

R-Factors for Coupled Composite Plate Shear Walls-Concrete Filled (Coupled-CPSW/CF)

This project seeks R-Factors developed from FEMA P-695 studies for Coupled Composite Plate Shear Walls-Concrete Filled (Coupled-C-PSW/CF), for inclusion in ASCE-7, higher than R-factors for corresponding non-coupled walls. C-PSW/CFs is foreseen to become an efficient option for the lateral force resisting system of buildings when relatively large seismic demands lead to the design of concrete shear walls with dense reinforcement and large thickness, or steel plate shear walls with relatively thick web plates and large boundary elements. This system will be predominantly used in high-rise buildings having a core-wall system with coupled beams. Coupled systems are anticipated to be more ductile and have more redundancy, but ASCE currently does not assign them higher R-factors. This study uses the FEMA P-695 methodology to substantiate the R-factors for such Coupled-C-PSW/CF structures.