Groundwork for Analysis and Design 2:

Spring Models for a Lateral Load Resisting System

Two Birds Solutions

10.30.2009

Matter Floor plan of diaphragm with 3 shearwalls:

SW A SW B

Discussion The intent of this document is to provide a basis for performing hand calculations for the analysis of lateral load resisting systems. The basic concepts of elastic springs in series and in parallel are presented in Groundwork for Analysis and Design 1: Elastic Springs. The floor plan to the left shows lateral force resisting system elements (LLRSE) A, B and C. These elements may be walls (e.g. concrete, CMU), braced frames (e.g. steel), moment frames (e.g. concrete, steel), or any other element that resists lateral loads such as wind and seismic forces. NOTICE: Floor diaphragms are often classified as rigid, semi-rigid and flexible by building codes. These classifications define the manner that applied forces may be considered to be distributed. See Groundwork for Analysis and Design: Diaphragm Analysis for more information. A LLRSE has a lateral stiffness that may be idealized by a spring. For simplicity, this spring may be assumed to have a linear elastic response. The stiffness of this spring depends on the flexural and shear stiffnesses of the element which in turn depend on the plan cross section properties and height of the story. If the lateral force F is applied to the center of the diaphragm, it may be evident that the floor will want to twist if the 3 springs are of equal stiffness. That is, the upper half of the floor plan is stiffer than the lower half, and a clockwise rotation may occur. To simplify analysis, we consider a statically equivalent set of loads: calculate the center of stiffness, apply the lateral load F at that point, and consider a moment equal to F*e. Using this approach, we often assume and it must ultimately be verified that the LLRSEs in the north-south direction can resist the moment. The LLRSEs in the east-west direction may then resist the load F in proportion to tributary area (flexible diaphragm), a continuous beam analysis (semirigid diaphragm) or in proportion to their distances and stiffnesses (rigid diaphragm). The calculation for center of stiffness is similar to the calculation of the centroid of a cross section. When calculating center of stiffness, it is suggested to use the center of the diaphragm as the origin and maintain +/- signs for yi values.

SW C

Equivalent spring model and resisting forces for a floor with applied lateral load:
kA EQ kB
FA FB

F kC EQ
FC

Geometric center of versus center of stiffness:

kA kB F kC CENTER OF DIAPHRAGM

kA kB F e kC M CENTER OF STIFFNESS

Determine the center of stiffness:

C

k
y=
i= A C

yi
i

k
i=A

Eccentricity and moment with F applied at center of stiffness (origin is at center of diaphragm):

e= y M = F e (positive rotation counterclockwise) M = F y

Springs and forces for a floor assuming load applied at center of stiffness (springs in parallel):

FA = F

kA k A + k B + kC

Matter

Discussion

FB = F FC = F

Discussion

kB k A + k B + kC kC k A + k B + kC

So, the LLRSE stiffnesses kA, kB and kC are needed in order to obtain the forces on each element at each floor. The determination of spring values for lateral load resisting system elements is presented in Groundwork for Analysis and Design 3: Spring Values for Lateral Load Resisting System Elements.