Seismic response of stepped frame-shear wall structures by using numerical method Original Research Article

A methodology is developed for obtaining dynamic responses of frame-shear wall structures having stepped cross sections of shear walls to study state harmonic transient excitation. Firstly, its development is to formulate a global stiffness matrix of the structures, based on the transfer matrix technique and structural modelling using wall elements. Then, the Runge-Kutta method of order 4 is used to solve the Lagrangeʹs equations. Analytical results have been obtained to yield these responses. This method departs from regular quasistatic forces by utilizing simulated earthquake load rather than postulating them a priori. A more recent study is aimed at determining the influence of shear wall height on the response of the frame-shear wall buildings. Numerical tests of example problems demonstrate the validity, effectiveness of the present approach and also, that it is not necessary to extend the shear wall over the entire height of the structure from a structural performance viewpoint.