The Effect of a Rigid Connection between the Slab and the Coupled Beam on the Seismic Performance of the Coupling Wall System

Abstract

The evolution of the construction building is one of the urgent matters in the current era, especially for high and medium-rise buildings. The widely used frame shear wall system has the main sign for the resistance of the lateral load (seismic and wind loads), so adding the coupled shear wall system to the construction building can give sufficient lateral stability, which can be achieved by increasing stiffness, strength, and ductility of the system. However, much research had been studied the coupling beams in the shear wall system theoretically and experimental; the effectiveness of the slab performance on the system has a short thesis executed experimental with limiting factors. In other words, only a few studies have shown the effects of slabs on the behavior of the coupled beam, and these studies did not mention the representation of the model. This study aims to investigate the effect of the rigidity connection between the slab and coupled beam and to create a finite element model in 3D to get a full understanding of the behavior of the system with different cases and hence to get recommendations for constructing stability system, the interaction between the slab elements and the shear wall system can effect on the behavior of the building. Deformation, shear, and moment in the coupled beam consider as the main measurements of structure response; the measured responses with different models of building 4, 8, 12 stories have been investigated in 3D models to obtain the behavior of the interaction of the slab with the coupled wall system. Two cases have been created; one is made without slab between coupled beam, and the other with existence the slab. The results prove that the rigidity between the coupled beam and the slab diaphragm is more effective for stability versus the seismic load. It shows the response reduction in the coupled beam and hence the overall response of the structure modeling, which can be returned to the effects of interaction rigidity between elements of the coupled beam and slab.