Chapter 5 – Lateral Force

Resisting Systems

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 Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems
(LFRS)
5.1 Introduction
 A lateral force resisting system (LFRS), or
lateral system for short, can be defined as a
specifically designed structure as part of a
building that resists against lateral loads such
as wind or seismic.
 There are three main types used in a building
– braced frames, moment frames, and shear
walls
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 Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

Why is a Lateral Force Resisting System (LFRS)

Important?
 The two main lateral loads that LFRS is designed to resist
are wind and seismic.
 LFRS is essential not only to the stability and longevity of
the structure to resist these loads but also to the lives of
its inhabitants.
 Without LFRS designed specifically for each building it
could suffer extensive damage, and worse, could cost
lives.
 In short, a lateral system is critical to any structure/bildg.
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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

 The most commonly used structural systems

are:
• (i) Wall systems
• (ii) Frame systems
• (iii) Mixed wall-frame system

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

5.2 Wall System

5.2.1 Stable arrangement of walls

i. There must be at least 3 walls

ii. The axes of the walls should not intersect at

a point

iii. All 3 walls should not be parallel

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

5.2.2 Avoid high torsion

• Note: eccentric arrangement of wall is the
most frequent cause of collapse during EQ

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

5.2.3 Distribution of story shear among the walls

5.2.3.1 Statically determinate wall system
• Note: the story shear and the forces in the walls
are statically equivalent

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

Note: the story shear and the forces in the walls

are statically equivalent
•  V2x = 100 kN
•  V1y+ V3y = 0
•  Torsion exerted by the story shear Vx
•  V2x(5) + V3y(8) – V1y(10) = 0
•  V3y= -500/18 and V1y= 500/18
•  V3y= -27.78 kN and V1y= 27.78 kN
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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

To reduce the magnitudes of the forces,

i. reduce the magnitude of the torsional
moment 500 kNm by reducing the distance
b/n the story shear Vx and the center of
stiffness S that lies on wall axis of Wall 2 and
ii. Increasing the lever arm b/n walls 1 and 3,
placing them as far apart from each other as
possible ,i.e., at the periphery

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

5.2.3.2 Statically indeterminate wall system

• More than three walls
• Additional compatibility conditions are to be
considered to determine all shear wall forces

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

Determination of the center of stiffness

In the following:
• Iix = Moment of inertia of wall i w.r.t x-Axis
• Iiy = Moment of inertia of wall i w.r.t y-Axis
• xi , yi = Distance of shear center of wall i from
origin of chosen coordinate system
xi , yi
• = Distance of shear center of wall i from
the center of stiffness
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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

Goal is to:
i. determine the center of stiffness
ii. distribute the horizontal force passing through M
• A shear force Vx through the center of stiffness S
results only in translation in the x-direction and no
rotation.
• This means the same amount of deflection for all
walls connected with each other by means of the
diaphragm
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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

•  Vx is distributed according to their stiffness

(rigidity)  according to the moment of
inertias w.r.t the y-axis
Vx I1 y Vx I 2 y
V1x  ; V2 x  ; etc
I iy I iy

• Note that the resultant of the distributed

forces is equal to Vx and passes through S.
•  S can be determined by determining Vx
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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

• Line of action of Vx is yS away from E and given

by:
ys 
 V ( y ) V ( y )
ix
 i ix i

V ix V x

• Substitution for Vix in terms of Vx from above

V
and factoring the constants V and
x

ix

simplifying yields:
𝑦 𝑠=
∑ 𝐼 𝑖𝑦 ( 𝑦 𝑖 )
∑ 𝐼𝑖 𝑦
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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

• Similarly from consideration of story shear Vy

in the y-direction
𝑥 𝑠=
∑ 𝐼 𝑖 𝑥 ( 𝑥𝑖 )
∑ 𝐼𝑖 𝑥
• As an example determine the center of
stiffness of the statically indeterminate wall
system shown in the previous slide

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

• Solution: Let t = wall thickness

• I1y = I6x = t(2a)3/12 ;
• I2x = I3x = I4y = I5y = t(a)3/12,
• I1x = I2y = I3y = I4x = I5x = I6  0
•  xS = 2.0a ; yS = 1.2a (check as an
assignment)
• It is shown as S in the floor plan

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

Story shear distribution among the walls

• Step 1: External horizontal force H acts
generally eccentric to assumed origin of axis
(E). In the case of EQ it passes through the
mass center
• Step2 : Story shear determined and made to
pass through the origin of chosen axis (E).

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

• The eccentricity of the external loading H, shown

as yH causes torsion
• Step 3: The statically equivalent actions Vx and Tsx
= Tex+ Vx yS are made to act at the center of
stiffness. (Note that only in the upper most story
is, Vx = H)
• The story shear Vx at the center of stiffness result
in a uniform translation of the in plane rigid slabs
in the x-direction
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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

• The story shear is distributed according of

their moments of inertias as discussed before
• The torsional moment TS results in rotation of
the slabs about the center of stiffness. It will
be absorbed by all the walls. (Observe the role
of the diaphragms in distribution the loads to
the walls. W/o the slabs this is not possible)

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

Ts  (V1x  y1  V2 x  y 2  )  (V1 y  x1  V2 y  x 2  )
• Some of these terms are negligible because of
negligible bending stiffness and V1x ,V2x ,
…,V1y , V2y , … are a result of torsion Ts
• Observe that, the deflection components of
the walls are proportional to y1 , y2 ,  , x1 , x2 , 

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

• Thus the shear forces V1x ,V2x ,…,V1y ,V2y , … in

the walls as a result of torsional moment T S are
proportional to the moment of inertia and the
lever arm and therefore their product
V1x  k  I1 y  y1   ;V1 y  k  I1x  x1  
• 
• Where k = the proportionality constant that has
to be determined so that we can determine the
wall forces resulting from torsion

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

• Invoking statical equivalency between story

torsion TS and and the sum of the torsional
moments exerted by the wall forces w.r.t. the
center of stiffness S:
Ts  k I1 y y12  k I 2 y y22    k I1x x12  k I 2 x x22  

Ts  k   I iy y  I ix x
2
i
2
i 
Ts
• 
 I 
k
iy yi2  I ix xi2
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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

• Substituting the vale of k in wall force eqns as

a result of torsion above:
   I
V1x  Ts  I1 y y1 iy 
yi2  I ix xi2 , 
V1 y  T  I x   I
s 1x 1 iy yi2  I ix x , 
2
i

• Note that V1y  0 for wall 1

• Thus the total force in wall i resulting from
Vx and TS will be:
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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

Vx I iy 
Ts  I1 y y1 
 I 
V1x   ;
 I iy iy yi2  I ix xi2
V y I ix 
Ts  I1x x1 
 I 
V1 y  
 I ix iy y  I ix x
2
i
2
i

• Note that the 1st term in the expression for Viy

is  0 because Vy = 0
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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

• Example I: For the Statically indeterminate

walls distribute the story shear if:
• Hx = 100kN; yH = 0.2a; a = 6.0m; t = 0.2m, and
the floor is the upper most floor in a building

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

• Example 2:
• Distribute the story shear in the ground floor
of a ten story building with plan and system of
walls similar to the statically indeterminate
example, if the lateral forces in the x- direction
are as shown in the Table below.
• Determine the external forces acting on wall 1

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

Story Force (kN) Center of mass

10 1000 -0.2a
9 900 -0.3a
8 800 0.2a
7 700 0.1a
6 600 -0.2a
5 500 -0.3a
4 400 -0.3a
3 300 -0.4a
2 200 -0.1a
1 100 0.1a

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

5.3 Frame system

• Regarding stable arrangement and avoiding high
torsion  same as in walls
• Disadvantage  frames are flexible  not suitable
for medium high to high rise buildings if used alone
• Example of unstable LFRS in the form of only 2
frames whose axes are parallel to each other and
that was actually constructed in Addis collapsed
completely!!

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

5.3.1 Lateral force distribution between the

frames
• Hand calculation using what are known as the
D-values of columns were common practice
• Same was also instructed in structural design
courses

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

• While the instruction helps add insight about

the response of frames under lateral loads,
the procedure is rather involved and also
outdated and serves no practical purpose in
present day design offices
• The reason is the ease with which 3-D frames
are modeled and analyzed with modern day
software and computers for all kinds of load
combinations
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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

• Thus we will look at a simple 3-D frame

example under lateral loading and use the
results to answer some questions such as:
• Is the stiffness of the LFRS equal to the sum of
the stiffnesses of the individual frames in each
direction?
• Are the rigidities of outer columns less than
those the interior columns and thus take less
share of the story shear?
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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

• Is the sum of the shear forces equal to the

story shear?
• How does eccentricity affect the distribution
of the story shear?
• How do we account for accidental
eccentricity?
• Can you show an individual frame with its
share of externally applied lateral load?

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

• Project the 3-D frame analysis

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

5.3 Mixed wall-frame system (Dual system)

• Response under lateral load is not anymore
that of a cantilever wall or frame because of
the interaction b/n the two.
• Reliable solutions can be found by modeling
the building as a plane structure consisting of
the frames and the walls connected by rigid
links

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

• Deformation pattern of a dual system

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

• Typical deflection, moment and shear diagrams

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

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Chapter 5- Lateral Force Resisting Systems

• See analysis model

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