Design Aspects of Shear Walls for Seismic Areas

Abstract

This presentation, taking the form of a state of the art report, considers several aspects of the behavior of tall and squat shear walls. In particular the problems of brittle and ductile failure modes, diagonal tension, construction joints, alternating plasticity, sliding shear, stiffness degratation, and strength loss under reversed cyclic loading are discussed. The behavior of coupled shear walls is examined in some detail and the problems related to the components of this structure are reviewed. The principles rather than techniques of design for earthquake resistance are stated. Wherever possible the issues are studied against the background of experimental evidence. The material presented indicates that carefully detailed shear walls, designed to possess an intelligent hierarchy in their failure mechanisms, can be made to possess the properties so desirable in earthquake resistant structures.