Behaviour of wall-frame structures : a study of the interactive behaviour of continuous and discontinuous wall-frame structures

The horizontal interaction between the walls and frames in wall-frame structures is investigated to determine its role in stiffening the structure against lateral, wind or earthquake loading. Discontinuous wall-frame structures are studied to assess the effects of the discontinuities on the horizontal interaction, and on the structures' lateral stiffness. The discontinuities include stepped walls or frames, curtailed walls, and different configurations of stiffened-storey frames.In each case, a continuum solution is developed and used to describe the behaviour of the structure, and to evaluate the effects of the discontinuities. Corresponding discrete finite elements analyses are also performed to verify the accuracy of the algebraic solutions and to determine the nature and magnitude of the resulting effects.For stepped and curtailed wall-frame structures, it is found that the walls can be reduced or curtailed without modifying significantly the overall horizontal interaction and lateral stiffness. It is found that for stiffened-storey frame structures, the horizontal interaction and lateral stiffness are significantly increased. This constitutes an entirely new type of high-rise wall-frame structure of greater efficiency