Lateral Resisting Systems in hotels?
Lateral Resisting Systems in hotels?
(OP)
Fellow Engineers,
I have recently started designing hotels around the country and am a bit concerned in regards to how the diaphragms are loading the shear walls. I have reviewed existing drawings on many existing hotel designs by others and am perplexed on how the lateral system is truly working. The drawings I have reviewed mostly use the stairwells and elevators shafts as the lateral force resisting system for the entire building regardless of where they are located. To me having an one elevator shaft
somewhere in the middle of a 200' long, multistory building doesn't cut. Secondly, how does the diaphragm load this rigid element? In other drawings, there may be a a few shearwalls here and there down the corridor of the hotel with no corresponding exterior shearwalls for the diaphragm to span to. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
I have recently started designing hotels around the country and am a bit concerned in regards to how the diaphragms are loading the shear walls. I have reviewed existing drawings on many existing hotel designs by others and am perplexed on how the lateral system is truly working. The drawings I have reviewed mostly use the stairwells and elevators shafts as the lateral force resisting system for the entire building regardless of where they are located. To me having an one elevator shaft
somewhere in the middle of a 200' long, multistory building doesn't cut. Secondly, how does the diaphragm load this rigid element? In other drawings, there may be a a few shearwalls here and there down the corridor of the hotel with no corresponding exterior shearwalls for the diaphragm to span to. Any thoughts would be appreciated.






RE: Lateral Resisting Systems in hotels?
1. The entire force is small enough so that it can be transferred directly from the floor into the wall via bolts, weldplates, etc. You have to check not only the connection between the floor and wall, but also the build-up of shear that occurs in the floor itself near the wall. So if you have a 200 ft. long diaphragm, all its shear has to "escape" from the floor, not through 200 ft., but through the much shorter length of floor next to the wall.
2. If the build-up of shear in the floor is too high for the floor, then collectors should be used to drag in the force to the walls.
Many engineers don't like option 1 above, and always use collectors.
RE: Lateral Resisting Systems in hotels?
A recent hotel (212' x 64') had stairs and elevators located at each end where we had bracing.
RE: Lateral Resisting Systems in hotels?
DaveAtkins