h/r ratios for masonry shear walls w/ openings 1

[dweiman]

Hi All,

I have a masonry shear wall with several door openings in it. The design methodology I'm following distributes the applied shears to the piers based on their relative rigidity. The height of the piers are taken as the door height (7'-4"). When determining Fa and Fb, should I be using the pier height or the overall wall height (16'-4")when determining the h/r ratio and 1-(h/140r)^2?

Thanks

 

[CSEllc]

For the Fa and Fb of the wall..You should use the height of the wall..not the pier.

To determine the stability of the pier....use the height of the pier.

Refer to Design of Masonry Structures 2nd ed, Chapter 12 by Schneider and Dickey or the Masonry Designers Guide

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