Building Design and Construction Handbook - Merritt - Ventech!

5.110 SECTION FIVE
FIGURE 5.89 Stress distribution in end shear walls: (a) with flexible
coupling; (b) with rigid-frame-type action; (c) with plate-type action.
FIGURE 5.90 Stress distribution in interior shear walls: (a) with flexible
coupling; (b) with rigid-frame-type action; (c) with plate-type action.
A plate-type action is indicated in Figs. 5.89c and 5.90c. This assumes an extremely
rigid connection between walls, such as fully story-height walls or deep rigid spandrels.
5.13 FINITE-ELEMENT METHODS
From the basic principles given in preceding articles, systematic procedures have
been developed for determining the behavior of a structure from a knowledge of
the behavior under load of its components. In these methods, called finite-element
methods, a structural system is considered an assembly of a finite number of finitesize
components, or elements. These are assumed to be connected to each other
only at discrete points, called nodes. From the characteristics of the elements, such
as their stiffness or flexibility, the characteristics of the whole system can be derived.
With these known, internal stresses and strains throughout can be computed.
Choice of elements to be used depends on the type of structure. For example,
for a truss with joints considered hinged, a natural choice of element would be a
bar, subjected only to axial forces. For a rigid frame, the elements might be beams
subjected to bending and axial forces, or to bending, axial forces, and torsion. For