Proposed Method of Distribution of Horizontal Loads on Stiffening Walls

Abstract

Abstract Numerical methods are commonly used to determine internal forces in stiffening walls. Extreme internal forces can be easily generated not only in slab-and-wall structure, but also in the bar system. It is always time-consuming to build such a structure, thus it is not used in single- or multi-family buildings with a simple wall arrangement. Then, a simple analytical model can be used to calculate internal forces in walls. Eurocode 6 (prEN 1996-1-1:2017) does not contain specific guidelines to calculate internal forces in walls and to use numerical methods or other reliable methods. This paper presents the procedure for determining internal forces in a building with a simple wall arrangement. The proposed method is based on the division of a wall with openings into components. The results were compared with values of internal forces determined by the linear elastic FE shell model. Rotation centre (RC) of the wall plan was demonstrated to be a significant factor which, besides bending and shear stiffness, had an impact on load distribution.