Understanding the Demand on Steel Plate Walls Carrying No Gravitational Loads

GB 50017—2017 Standard for Design of Steel Structures put a special demand on steel plate wall ( SPW ) avoiding carryinggravitational load. Because of the difficulty of realizing this demand, this clause prohibited application of SPW. Unloading ofgravitational loads occurring in SPW, chevron and cross braces and buckling-restrained braces during the plastic response underearthquake are pointed out in this article, and therefore, requiring the SPW carrying no gravitational load in the design stage has theresults that the boundary columns and beams are prepared to receive such unloading. Such an explanation provides an additional designrequirement of SPW, and increases the confidence of using SPW.