Performance of composite shear walls under axial and lateral cyclic loading: A comprehensive review

Document Type

Review

Publication Date

2-1-2026

Abstract

Composite shear walls have emerged over the past two decades as an effective alternative lateral load–resisting system to traditional reinforced concrete walls. Although significant progress has been made, major challenges persist in achieving stable, ductile, and resilient performance under the combined effects of axial and lateral loading. Issues such as local buckling, limited ductility at high axial load ratios, insufficient understanding of the interaction among steel plates, steel profiles, and concrete, as well as the suboptimal utilization of steel profiles in strengthening configurations, highlight the need for further research. This state-of-the-art review provides a comprehensive examination of existing concrete–steel composite shear wall systems and classifies them into four categories according to their steel layout: (1) composite walls with a single steel plate, (2) composite walls with steel profiles, (3) composite walls with double steel plates, and (4) composite walls combining double steel plates and steel profiles. The review synthesizes key findings, experimental methodologies, numerical modeling approaches, and design standards employed in previous studies. Comparative analyses of the four systems, together with an evaluation of the influence of critical parameters on their axial and cyclic load resistance, yield practical recommendations for developing optimized composite configurations in terms of steel arrangement, material selection, and loading conditions. These insights aim to enhance the seismic performance and design efficiency of future composite shear wall systems.

Publication Title

Structures

DOI

10.1016/j.istruc.2025.110931

Volume

84

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