Earthquake-induced shear concentration in shear walls above transfer structures

Abstract

Due to various architectural constraints and multi-functional requirements for modern buildings, combined structural forms, which typically include shear wall systems in higher zones and moment-resisting frames together with core walls in lower zones, are commonly used for these buildings. Transfer structures are often introduced to transfer the loads from higher to lower zones. Previous experimental and numerical studies have demonstrated that the exterior walls above the transfer structure are particularly vulnerable structural members under seismic loading. In this paper, a qualitative model is presented for simulating the shear concentration effect in exterior walls with consideration of the local deformations of transfer structures. A parametric study was carried out to validate the model and to quantify various factors which may influence the shear concentration effect. A shear concentration factor, which can measure the intensity of shear stress concentration in the exterior walls, is defined. Based on the numerical study, design principles are recommended to seismic engineers for minimizing the adverse shear concentration effect on exterior walls under seismic loads. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.