Numerical Analysis of RC Shear Walls carrying Braced Columns

Abstract

This study is mainly concerned with the behavior of braced concrete columns over reinforced concrete shear walls in high-rise buildings which used to resist loading in high-rise buildings and lateral forces from wind and earthquakes instead of using shear wall all over the height of the building. Parametric studies are carried out for six main systems that are modeled in three dimensions as residential buildings with different parameters and geometry. ETABS (v 15.2.2) is used to model and analyze this systems using three dimensional linear analysis. Using ETABS in the analysis and design of structural three dimensional high rise buildings: the procedure consists of choosing the units, drawing three dimensional structural model, choosing material properties, classification of all elements offrame sections such as ( beams or bracing or beams and bracing and columns ), wall piers and slabs sections, choosingreinforcing bars for all concrete sections, choosing supports, defining loads ( dead, live, wind, earthquake and combination ), run theanalysis and design for all cases and parametric studies. In the case studies, buildings are consisting of columns and walls as well as slabs. Walls are connected together by means of beams or bracing or both of beams and bracing. Analytical results verified that using of two concrete columns connected by RC bracing for the whole building height instead of RC shear walls, carried about 65% and 20% of the moment and shear values respectively that carried by shear wall. Also it considered an economical solution as it saves about 38% of concrete quantities and about 11% of steel quantities.

Key words: Reinforced Concrete, Shear Walls, High-Rise Buildings, Lateral Loads, Bracing, Beams, Linear Analysis, Finite Element Method.