Model to Incorporate Architectural Walls in Structural Analyses

Abstract

This paper presents a theoretical model that has been developed to represent and include architectural walls in structural analyses. The model has been incorporated into a nonlinear, dynamic, finite-element analysis program. While analytical models have been developed previously to represent architectural components in buildings, few models are available to include them in structural analyses. The model is intended to be used by researchers and practitioners to study the effects of architectural walls on building response. The level of complexity and the level of accuracy of the model are balanced so that the model may be incorporated into large finite element models without an undue increase in computational effort, yet is representative of actual wall characteristics. Comparisons between theoretical and experimental results indicate that the model effectively represents the behavior of interior partition walls; the ratio of energy dissipated by the analytical model versus experimental results ranges from 0.9 to 1.1. The analytical response of walls in a two-story frame subjected to input ground motions is included to illustrate the incorporation of architectural walls in structural analyses.