Etabs shear wall design 1

[TDWBeca]

I am designing shear walls (by hand) for a multistory building based on Etabs output. We have a variety of walls all connected by rigid floor diaphragms. All wall elements are given individual pier numbers irrespective of whether they are isolated or connected to other walls (i.e. at corners). Where walls are interconnected, say an L shape at a corner, I understand that because I have elected to output axial loads, shears and moments individually for each wall element (each wall in each direction), the output forces are just those that each wall element feels, not the overall actions for the combined wall. Alternatively, I also understand that I can select all of the wall elements as a single pier and output design actions for the combined wall. If I choose the former, is it correct to design each wall element flexural steel for the etabs individual element design actions knowing that when combined this will give me adequate flexural strength to resist the combined wall actions? In other words, can I design each wall element for an L shaped wall individually, or do I have to design for the total L shaped wall action? Please help.

 

[Murali27]

Hi TDWBeca

Yes i do shear wall design by using ETABS. I faced the same situation. What we do here as you said assigning the piers for each wall segments and do the design for each wall segment and check for the combined flexural capacity.
<this also can be checked by using general reinforcing option in etabs>

To do design each segment of walls, you can utilize the design options (simplified T&C, Uniform reinforcing) in etabs no need to do by hand.


Thanks

 

[amadeus]

Hi TDWBeca:

When you have an L,C or T section in ETABS V8, usually it is easier and more accurate to define it as a single pier. Upon analysis completion you then define it as a general section using the start from existing wall pier. When the section designer starts it will already have the geometry of the pier you defined and you will only have to define the reinforcing. This procedure eliminates the uncertainity of reinforcing at corners since it will use the interaction diagram for the whole pier. That will save you lots of pages of hand design.