Modelling of lightweight sandwich shear diaphragms for dynamic analyses

A procedure interpreting the behaviour of screwed lightweight sandwich shear walls is presented in this paper. The study is part of a general research project aimed at the development of a suitable methodology of analysis, which should allow the effect of cladding panels on the structural response of steel frames to be properly accounted for. Firstly, the monotonic behaviour of panels in shear is predicted by means of an adequate finite element model, whose reliability is checked on the basis of available experimental results. Then, the cyclic response of the system is established through a purposely-developed analytical hysteretic model. Appropriate strength degradation functions are introduced, aimed at simulating the cyclic response of the system as experimentally stated. On the whole, the proposed methodology is profitable for predicting the seismic response of steel frames, accounting for the contributing effect due to infill sandwich panels. © 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd.