FULL AND PERFORATED METAL PLATE SHEAR WALLS AS BRACING SYSTEMS FOR SEISMIC UPGRADING OF EXISTING RC BUILDINGS

Metal Plate Shear Walls (MPSWs) represent an effective, practical and economical system for the seismic protection of existing RC framed buildings. They consist of one or more metallic thin plates, bolted or welded to a stiff steel frame, which are installed in the bays of RC framed structures. A case study of an existing RC residential 5-storey building, designed between the ‘60s and ‘70s of the last century and retrofitted with MPSWs, has been examined in this paper. The retrofitting design of the existing structure has been carried out by using four different MPSWs, namely three common full panels made of steel, low yield steel and aluminium and one innovative perforated steel plates. Finally, the used retrofitting solutions have been compared each to other in terms of performance and economic parameters, allowing to select the best intervention.