Analysis of shear wall structures of variable cross section

Abstract

AbstractA method has been proposed for the analysis of three‐dimensional shear wall and shear core assemblies having stepwise changes in the cross section. The analysis is based on a variant of the continuous connection method. In the continuous approach, the connecting beams are replaced by equivalent continuous connections. The differential equation systems for shear wall structure segments of constant cross section are uncoupled by orthogonal eigenvectors. The solution matches the boundary conditions of the upper and lower parts of the wall at the plane of contiguity, at which an abrupt change in cross section occurs. This yields a system of linear equations, which enable the determination of the integration constants. The correctness and efficiency of the proposed method are illustrated by its application to the analysis of plane and three‐dimensional shear wall systems of variable cross section. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.