Effect of positioning of shear walls in a multi-storied building on response to earthquake

Abstract

Seismic events are matter of concern for the structural engineers for its devastating effects. These events are neither can be predicted. nor can be prevented. To mitigate it’s impacts on the structures several measures are taken. But none of them can be treated as 100% effective, there are a lot of scope of improvement. In this study the dynamic behaviour of structures under seismic loading investigated, focusing on the combined influence of geometric shape, different types of shear walls, and their position on lateral displacement and drift. Specifically, four different geometric shape of plans of identical floor area were taken for this study. Two types of shear walls, couple shear wall and core shear walls were placed in four different positions. Static Equivalent Load method to assess the seismic response of structures is employed in this study, following to the guidelines given in the Bangladesh National Building Code 2006 using ETABS software. Key findings of the study are the efficacy of shear walls in mitigating lateral displacement. The optimum results achieved for central positions and core wall configurations. The study discloses the significance of different geometric shapes on seismic responses. This study provides a perceptions of effective seismic retrofitting strategies.