Effect of Shear Walls on Seismic Behaviour in Multistory Building by Varying the Shear Wall Size and Location

Abstract

This paper is study about how multi story structure get affects the story shear Base shear & story stiffness parameters which are directly aligned with inclusion of shear wall in the building which indirectly affects the effectiveness during earthquake. A four-story structure for zone factor 0.16 as per Indian code were analyzed in ETABS 18.1.1 software where we carried four model with & without shear wall, varying thickness of shear wall & location of shear wall particularly at soft story. Incorporating shear walls increases story shear compared to structures without them, though placement at the soft story slightly reduces story shear, with negligible further change upon reducing wall thickness. Base shear remains largely unaffected by shear wall inclusion, placement, or dimensional properties. Conversely, adding shear walls solely at the soft story significantly enhances story stiffness relative to structures lacking shear walls, though stiffness is sensitive to reductions in wall thickness.

Introduction

This paper investigates the impact of shear walls on structural parameters such as storey shear, base shear, and storey stiffness in multi-storey reinforced concrete buildings. These parameters are essential in evaluating a structure’s ability to resist lateral loads, particularly from seismic or wind forces.

• Storey Shear: The horizontal force acting on a specific floor, influenced by lateral loads above that floor.

• Base Shear: Total horizontal force at the building’s base needed to resist all applied lateral loads.

• Storey Stiffness: The resistance of each floor to lateral displacement; key in seismic design.

Literature Review

• Priya Kewat & Kavita Golghate studied effects of varying shear wall thickness and shape on story drift and lateral displacement.

• Balaji Salunke & R.M. Desai analyzed shear wall placement at building boundaries and centers.

• S.P. Pawar & Dr. C.P. Pise found that rectangular shear walls and shorter columns on slopes provide better lateral resistance.

Methodology

Models of a 4-storey RC building were analyzed using ETABS (v18.1.1) via Response Spectrum Analysis. The models shared identical geometry but differed in shear wall placement and thickness.

• Codes used: IS 456:2000 and IS 1893:2016.

• Material properties:

  • Concrete strength: 25 MPa

  • Steel yield strength: 550 MPa

  • Column size: 230×600 mm

  • Shear wall thickness: 150 mm or 230 mm

  • Storey height: 3.2 m

  • Number of bays: 5×5

Load Considerations

• Live and superimposed dead loads were applied per Indian codes.

• Zone factor: Z = 0.16 (moderate seismic zone)

• Response Reduction Factor (R): 3

• Total of 28 load combinations used for analysis—14 for frame design and 14 for shear wall design.

Model Descriptions

1. Model 1: Without shear wall

2. Model 2: 230 mm thick shear walls along outer boundaries, full height

3. Model 3: 230 mm thick shear walls only at soft storey

4. Model 4: 150 mm thick shear walls at soft storey

Conclusion

Inclusion of shear wall in the structure the story shear value amplifies in terms of without Shear wall structure. Locating Shear wall at soft story only there is bit reduction in story shear & further shrinking in thickness the story shear stands almost same. In event that the Base Shear value remains unaffected by the incorporation of shear wall their placement & dimensional properties. In instances where story stiffness is addressed by incorporating shear walls solely at the soft story, the stiffness performance of the story is markedly enhanced. Furthermore, this configuration demonstrates a substantial improvement in story stiffness compared to structures lacking shear walls. Additionally, the story stiffness is influenced by reductions in the dimensional thickness of the shear walls.

References

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Copyright

Copyright © 2025 Amit Chandrashekhar Sonwane, Rajesha R N. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.