Development of an innovative seismic design procedure for frame-wall structures

A displacement-based design (DBD) methodology for structures that are comprised of both frames and walls has been proposed and then tested through examination of several case studies. Strength proportions between walls and frames are decided before any analysis has begun. The various steps required to represent a frame-wall structure as a single-degree of freedom system are identified and a Direct DBD process is then adopted to set the required strength level. To test the design methodology, two sets of 4, 8, 12, 16 and 20-storey reinforced concrete structures are designed, with different proportions of the total strength assigned to the frames. A suite of time-history analyses have then been conducted to validate the methodology, which is seen to perform reasonably well. Finally, improvements to the procedure are outlined and areas for future research are identified.