Finite element modeling and parametric analysis of timber–steel hybrid structures

This paper presents finite element modeling and a parametric analysis of prototype timber–steel hybrid structures, which are composed of steel moment‐resisting frames and infill wood‐frame shear walls. A user‐defined element was developed to model the behavior of the infill wood shear walls based on the concept of pseudo‐nail model. The element was implemented as a subroutine in a finite element software package abaqus . The model was verified by reversed cyclic test results and further used in a parametric analysis to investigate the lateral performance of timber–steel hybrid shear walls with various structural configurations. The results showed that the infill wall was quite effective within small drift ratios, and the elastic lateral stiffness of the hybrid shear wall increased when a stronger infill wall was used. In order to ensure the structural efficiency of the hybrid shear wall system, it is beneficial to use relatively strong timber–steel bolted connections to make sure the shear force can be transferred effectively between the steel frame and the infill wall. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.