The nonlinear pushover analyses of 24 composite steel plate shear walls (CSPSWs), 24 corresponding steel plate shear walls (SPSWs), and 24 corresponding frames are conducted. CSPSWs have different aspect ratios and infill steel plate thicknesses. The study aims to understand the wall-frame and steel-concrete interactions. The infill steel plate thickness and aspect ratio of CSPSW are the main parameters of the study.In CSPSWs, the percentage of absorbed shear forces by the infill composite wall is always greater than the infill plate of its corresponding SPSW. The percentage of shear in the composite wall is constant at the initial stage of loading up to a drift of 0.15-0.2%. By increasing the drift, the shear yielding of steel plate leads to a reduction of the shear force absorption. The reduction continues until the bulk of shear stiffness of CSPSW is provided by the frame.At the beginning of lateral loading, steel-concrete interactions increase until shear yield of steel plate. Following this stage, a sudden decrease takes place in shear force absorption of reinforced concrete (RC) panel. The reason is that, at the lower drifts, the steel plate has a tendency for elastic buckling, which is prevented by the RC panel. Finally, the shear force absorption remains approximately constant in the RC panel. KEYWORDS composite steel plate shear wall, concrete stiffened steel plate shear wall, finite element method, nonlinear behavior, steel plate shear wall 1 | INTRODUCTION The steel plate shear wall (SPSW) and composite steel plate shear wall (CSPSW) are acceptable lateral-load resistance systems for tall steel structures. CSPSW can be efficiently used in regions with high seismicity. The system configuration consists of an infill steel plate and a reinforced concrete (RC) panel on one or both sides of the steel plate. The RC panel is attached to the steel plate by mechanical shear connectors, bolts, or studs.There is a gap between the RC panel and the frame, so that the RC panel does not provide shear strength and only acts as a stiffener. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] The composite SPSW with an RC panel on one side, with steel boundary elements, is denoted as "concrete stiffened steel plate shear wall," in the AISC Seismic Provisions. [11] Many numerical and experimental investigations have been conducted to understand behavior and design of SPSWs for the past decades. [12][13][14][15] Previous studies show that SPSWs provide high strength and ductility for high-rise buildings; however, the infill steel plate of SPSW buckles globally in low drift. Therefore, the problem encourages researchers to study behavior and design of stiffened SPSW.Zhao and Astaneh-Asl tested two half-scale CSPSW specimens-with and without gaps between steel boundary elements and the RC panel-in 2002. [8,9] The innovative CSPSW showed a proper ductile manner and less damage to the RC panel as compared with the CSPSW without gaps.The innovative CSPSW resisted the lateral load up to an interstory drift of 5%; however, before reaching this drif...