COMPARISON OF SHEAR WALLS AND MOMENT-RESISTING FRAMES IN EARTHQUAKE RESISTING BUILDINGS’ DESIGN

Abstract

The rapid growth of urban population and limited land space have greatly influenced the development of high-rise structures. Lateral loads have an important effect on the design as the building height increases. In order to resist lateral loads, safety and minimum damage should be the prime concern when designing tall buildings. To meet these requirements, the structure should have adequate lateral strength and lateral stiffness and sufficient ductility. Among the various structural systems, shear wall systems or moment resisting frame systems could be a point of choice for designers. Thus, it is important to review and observe the behavior of these systems under seismic effect. This study compared the seismic response of the above structural systems using a case study application at variable seismic zones (Zone 2B, Lebanon Zone, Zone 3, and Zone 4) and at different building stories (Eight and 12-story building). The seismic response is measured in term of time-period, maximum story displacement, maximum story drift, amount of steel and concrete needed. The outcome of this study portrayed that a shear wall system is more efficient in terms of cost and lateral load resistivity regardless of the building height and in the four seismic zones mentioned before.