Shear Wall Design

Introduction
Shear walls provide a
high in-plane stiffness and
strength for both lateral and
gravity loads, and are ideally
suitable for tall buildings,
especially those conceived in
reinforced concrete. Tall
buildings designed to carry the
entire lateral loading through
shear walls can be economical to
heights of around 40 stories.
Taller structures should combine
shear walls with other structural
systems.
Shear Wall design
 Shear Wall Design Steps
1- Calculate External Load
Mu
Vu
Pu

2- boundary element check

3
bh 3 bwlw
Ig  
12 12
P MC
fc  
A I

if f c  0.2 f c' Then boundary elements are not required

Then choose the one of:

lb  (0.2  0.25)lw

bw

lw
lb  (0.2  0.25)lw

bb bw

lw
 3- Longitudinal Reinforcement

At least two curtains of reinforcement are needed in the wall if

the in-plane factored shear exceed a value of
Acv f c'
6 Acv  lwbw
 hw   f' 
if  2  Vu  Vn   Acv  c
 n f y 
 lw   6 
 
 hw   f' 
if  1.5  Vu  Vn   Acv  c
 n f y 
 lw   4 
 
  0.6
'
4 Acv f c
Vn  max  
6
 Minimum reinforcement
Acv f c'
if Vu 
6
 v  0.0025
 h  0.0025
Acv f c'
if Vu 
6
for bar  16
 v  0.0012
 h  0.0020
for bar  16
 v  0.0015
 h  0.0025
4- Verify adequacy of shear wall section at its base under
combined axial load and bending moment
Mu
Pu
M u Pu lb  (0.2  0.25)lw
,  interaction diagram
Ag lw Ag
 bb bw
As  Ag
Asb  As  Asv lw
Asb  area of reinforcement in boundary elements
Asv  area of reinforcement in (lw  2lb )
5- Boundary element transverse reinforcement

'
fc
Ash  0.09 S hc h
f yh
 Ag  fc' b bc
Ash  0.3 S hc   1
 Ach  f yh hc

You must check it in two dimension

Example 1
Design the following shear wall
1- Calculate External Load

Moment Shear
Force
bw  0.2m

l w  4m
 2- boundary element check

0.2 4
3 3
bl
Ig  w w   1.067
12 12
 1500 8800  2  6
fc     *10  18.4MN / m  0.2(30)  6Mpa
2

 0.2  4 1.067 
Boundary element required
0.8  (0.2  0.25)4

bw  0.2 bb  0.3

lw  4
3- Longitudinal Reinforcement

At least two curtains of reinforcement are needed in the wall if

the in-plane factored shear exceed a value of

Acv f c' 200(4000) 30

  730.3kN  Vu  660kN 
6 6

Minimum reinforcement
Acv f c'
 Vu  for bar  16
6
 v  0.0012  Asv  0.00121000  200   240mm 2  2.4cm 2
S max  45cm
use  12 @ 25cm each direction 
 h  0.0020  Asv  0.0021000  200   400mm 2  4cm 2
S max  45cm
use  12 @ 25cm each direction 
 4- Verify adequacy of shear wall section at its base under
combined axial load and bending moment
M u  8800 106 N .m
Pu  1500  103 N
Ag   4  2  0.8  0.2  2 0.8  0.3  1m 2  1106 mm 2
Mu 8800  106
  2.2MPa  0.31ksi

Ag lw 110 4000
6
 lb  (0.2  0.25)lw
Pu 1500  103
  1.5MPa  0.21ksi
Ag 1 10 6
bb bw
  0.9
  0.01 lw
As  Ag  0.01(1 106 )  10000mm 2  100cm 2
Asb  As  Asv  100  ( 02..256  2  1.13)  76.5cm 2
38.25cm 2 for each boundary element use 1618
 5- Boundary element transverse reinforcement h
'
fc
Ash  0.09 S hc
f yh
b bc
 Ag  fc'
Ash  0.3 S hc   1
 Ach  f yh hc
Check short direction
Check short direction

Check long direction

S  120mm
hc  80  2(3  1.8)  70.4cm
bc  30  2(3  1.8)  20.4cm
'
f 30
Ash  0.09 S hc c  0.09(120)(704)  543.2mm 2  5.4cm 2
f yh 420
 Check long direction
S  120mm
hc  80  2(3  1.8)  70.4cm
bc  30  2(3  1.8)  20.4cm
'
fc 30
Ash  0.09 S bc  0.09(120)(204)  160mm 2  1.6cm 2
f yh 420
Ash  1.6cm 2

in short direction use 2 legs close hoop 10 & 2 internal legs 16

 2(0.79)  2(2.01)  5.6cm 2

in short direction use 2 legs close hoop 10

 2(0.79)  1.6cm 2
 Design Example
Design Shear wall 1 & 2 in the figure below
Gaza City
3.0 3.0
D.L=8kN/m2
5.0 5.0
2 L.L=2.5kN/m2
7.5
5.0

20.0

5.0

10
5.0

1
3.0 L 3.0
5.0

20.0
1- calculate the length of shear wall 1 y
3.0 3.0
n
I i yi
y 5.0

i 1  I i
2

7.5

53  0.2 x
20.0
I2   2.08,
12
y2  7.5 10

L3  0.2 3.0
1
3.0
I1   0.0166 L3 , L

12 20.0

y1  10
n
I i yi I1 y1  I 2 y2 2.08(7.5)  0.0166L3 (10)
y   0
i 1  I i I1  I 2 I1  I 2
2.08(7.5)  0.0166L3 (10)  0
L1  4.5m
2- Seismic Shear for the total building
S D1W
V
TR I
S D1  0.10
W  8(20)(20)(5)  16000kN
T  0.0488 25  0.55
3
4

R  4 Shear Wall 
I  1.25
0.1016000
V  909kN
0.55( 1.25 )
4

Vmin  0.0441( IS DSW )  0.0441(1.25)(0.21)16000  185.2kN

S DSW 0.21(16000)
Vmax    1050kN
R 4
I 1.25
For the total Building
T=0.55> 0.5 k  1  T 20.5  1.025
 V = 909 kN y
M =16726 kN.m
For shear walls

Vi  (a  b)  V
M i  ( a  b)  M
Ii
a n

I
i 1
i

I i yi
b  C.R  0.05( L) 
 
2 2
I iy yi  I ix xi
 In this example without neglect the effect of twist force
2
3.0 3.0

For shear wall No. 1 5.0

2

7.5

20.0

0.24.53
Ii
a  12
 0.42
n

3
0.24.5 0.253 10

I
i 1
i
12 12

3.0
1
3.0
L

b
0.24.53
12 10 (0.05  20)
20.0

0.24.53
(10)  2 0.253
(7.5)  4 
2 0.233
(10) 2 1
12 12 12

b  0.024
3- In this example we will neglect the effect of twist force
2
3.0 3.0

For shear wall No. 1 5.0

2

7.5
0.24.53
Ii
a  12
 0.42
n

3
0.24.5 0.253
 Ii
20.0
12 12

i 1
10

Vi  (a )  V  0.42  909  382kN 1

3.0 3.0
M i  ( a )  M  0.42  16726  7025kN .m L

20.0

For shear wall No. 2 1

a  0.58
Vi  (a )  V  0.58  909  528kN
M i  (a)  M  0.58 16726  9702kN .m
 4- Shear wall design
boundary element check

0.2 4.5
3 3
bl
Ig  w w   1.519
12 12
 1500 7025  2.25  3
fc     *10  12.072MN / m  0.2(30)  6Mpa
2

 0.2  4.5 1.519 

Boundary element required

0.9  (0.2)  4.5

bw  0.2m

l w  4.5m
Longitudinal Reinforcement

At least two curtains of reinforcement are needed in the wall if

the in-plane factored shear exceed a value of

Acv f c' 200(4500) 30

  821.6kN  Vu  382kN 
6 6

Minimum reinforcement
Acv f c' for bar  16
 Vu 
6  v  0.0012  Asv  0.00121000  200   240mm 2  2.4cm 2
S max  45cm
use  12 @ 25cm each direction 
 h  0.0020  Asv  0.0021000  200   400mm 2  4cm 2
S max  45cm
use  12 @ 25cm each direction 
 Verify adequacy of shear wall section at its base under
combined axial load and bending moment
M u  8800  106 N .m
Pu  1500 103 N
Ag  4.5  0.2  0.9m 2  0.9 106 mm 2
Mu 7025  106
  1.73MPa  0.25ksi
Ag lw 
0.9  10 4500
6

Pu 1500 103 0.9  (0.2)  4.5
  1.66MPa  0.24ksi
Ag 0.9 10 6
bw  0.2m
  0.9
lw  4.5m
  0.01
As  Ag  0.01(0.9 106 )  9000mm 2  90cm 2
Asb  As  Asv  90  ( 4.50.225( 0.9 )  2  1.13)  65.6cm 2
32.8cm 2 for each boundary element use 1616
 Boundary element transverse reinforcement h
'
fc
Ash  0.09 S hc
f yh
b bc
 Ag  fc'
Ash  0.3 S hc   1
 Ach  f yh hc
Check short direction
Check short direction

Check long direction

S  100mm
hc  90  2(3  1.8)  80.4cm
bc  20  2(3  1.8)  10.4cm
'
f 30
Ash  0.09 S hc c  0.09(100)(804)  516.9mm 2  5.2cm 2
f yh 420
 Check long direction

S  100mm
hc  90  2(3  1.8)  80.4cm
bc  20  2(3  1.8)  10.4cm
'
fc 30
Ash  0.09 S hc  0.09(100)(104)  66.8mm 2  0.7cm 2
f yh 420

in short direction use 2 legs close hoop 10 & 2 internal legs 16

 2(0.79)  2(2.01)  5.6cm 2

in short direction use 2 legs close hoop 10

 2(0.79)  1.6cm 2

Repeat the last procedure for Shear wall 2