The Analysis of Irregular Shaped Structures
Residential and commercial buildings have become more complex than structures built only a few decades ago. Horizontal and vertical offsets in the diaphragms, multiple reentrant corners, multiple irregularities, and fewer vertical lateralorce-resisting elements are commonplace. The structural configurations of many modern buildings require very complex lateral load paths. Most texts and publications available today only address simple rectangular diaphragms and shear walls. Methods of analysis for these simpler diaphragms and shear walls do not easily adapt to complex diaphragms and shear wall layouts in irregular shaped structures. Calculating the forces that are to be transferred across multiple discontinuities and detailing the design requirements on the construction documents can be very challenging and time-consuming. Various methods of analyzing the distribution of lateral loads in complex structures were developed in the early 1980s, based largely on work done by the Applied Technology Council,1the APA—The Engineered Wood Association,2 and Edward F.
among others. But the distribution of this information has been limited, making some of the material hard to find. The purpose of this publication is to consolidate much of that information into one source to provide a comprehensive coverage of the analysis of modern irregular shaped structures through numerous step-
by-step examples, and to bring it to the forefront of the engineering and code official communities. A secondary objective is to reemphasize the need for complete lateral load paths through shear wall and diaphragm discontinuities.
The complex diaphragm, shear wall, and load path issues addressed in this book are representative of today’s demand on design professionals and code officials. The diaphragms are considered to be flexible using wood sheathing or steel decking. The shear walls are also considered to be flexible using wood or cold-formed steel
framing with wood sheathing. The information is presented as a guideline for recognizing irregularities and developing the procedures necessary to resolve the forces along complicated load paths. The code is, and has been, clear that lateral forces must be transferred across all discontinuities and that continuous load paths must be established and maintained down to the foundation. Forces at discontinuities must be dissipated into diaphragms and shear walls within their shear and tension capacities.
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