concrete shear wall footings

[calculor1]

Having a dispute in our office regarding concrete shear wall footings. Some guys are using large grade beams at the ends, other using individual pads which all makes sense. However some of the guys are using basically strip footings under their load bearing shear walls typically 4 to 6 storey buildings. How can there be so much discrepancy?

 

[msquared48]

There is no correct answer. For any problem there are many solutions, but the best solution is driven either by the cost, the contractor's experience, or the preference of the engineer - what he is most comfortable using.

Mike McCann
McCann Engineering

 

[canstruct]

When you are saying large grade beams at ends, you need to talk about the end portion of shear wall which actually should take the tensile or compressive forces acting on the wall.

Secondly if you are designing shear walls as a deep beam then you have to add reinfocement in all portion of the wall instead of having at ends. Same principle works for foundations. If you are assuming moment to be taken by end pilaster then it need a larger footing. But if you are assuming load distributed by the wall, then you need a strip footing which should be checked for allowable bearing pressure.