Steel Perforated Shear Panels as Dissipative Devices: Part 2- Optimization rules based on FEM models

Starting from a FEM numerical model calibrated on the basis of the experimental results reported in a companion paper, this manuscript presents a parametric study on steel perforated shear plates. Two goals are achieved: i) to establish the influence of the main geometric parameters on the panel hysteretic response, with particular regard to the pinching effects provoked by buckling phenomena; ii) to provide analytical formulations able to give back the ratio between the maximum and the “pinching” strength, the last being the force corresponding to a null shear strain in a cycle. This ratio is strongly related to the dissipative capacity and gives a meaningful measure of the panel performance. As a consequence, the above formulations are proposed as a suitable predictive tool for determining the optimal perforation geometry to be assigned to the panel depending on the expected shear demand.