Tall Hybrid Coupled Structural Walls: Seismic Behavior and Design Suggestions

Abstract

The seismic behavior of tall hybrid coupled wall systems is studied. For this purpose, nonlinear time history analyses are carried out to investigate the seismic response of eight example systems that are designed in accordance with the current design regulations. The results show that the shear and overturning moment magnification values are 1.6 and 1.4 for 10-story systems, and 1.8 and 1.2 for 30-story systems, due to the dynamic effect. In light of the analysis results, design suggestions are made for the system base shear, lateral force distribution, and coupling beams. In particular, based on the obtained detailed structural response and yielding mechanism, the necessity of adopting different coupling beam designs elaborately tuned to meet the actual vertical beam demand distribution along the structural height is discussed. It is found that a tall coupled wall structure with uniform steel coupling beam sections over the structural height ultimately leads to an average proportion of yielding coupling beams about 80%, which is as satisfactorily as the one with the beam designs carefully tuned according to the vertical demand distribution obtained using effective lateral load analysis.