Investigation of the behaviour of steel frames with the partial and full infill walls under horizontal loads with elastic and plastic methods

In this study, positive and negative effects of infill walls ignored as structural member on steel frames under lateral monotonic loads are investigated as a comparison of the theoretical and experimental analysis. A plane frame with two storeys and two spans is designed, and full-free combinations are done. Partial infill wall is limited with only band windows in this study. With this purpose, equivalent pressure bar model is used for the infill walls in the plane frames under lateral loads, and elastic and plastic analysis results of steel frames are compared, which are with infill wall, with band windows and without an infill wall. Furthermore, soft storey and short column effects in plane steel frames are investigated. Rigidity, period, horizontal displacement, base shear force, energy consumption (ductility) and the structure behavior effects of infill walls are examined.Some information is given about plastic analysis of steel structures and linear elastic analysis method of steel structures (admissible stress) in the specification TS 648. Performance analyses of infill walls as equivalent diagonal compression bar are done using non-linear computation methods. The resistance of equivalent diagonal compression bars is determined depending on mechanical and geometric properties of aerated concrete used in the construction of infill wall. During the performance analysis of equivalent bars, effects of column and beam elements on their performance are investigated; and effects of infill walls placed in the frame as symmetrically and asymmetrically in the displacement of frame and in the natural vibration period, and behaviors of short column formed because of band window are examined in line with the assumptions. SAP2000 static analysis program is used in the modeling and analysis.