CLT49er said:
So it sounds like you simplified the analysis by assuming that the shear diagram is rectangular vs triangular.
More or less I guess. I assumed that the peak value of diaphragm shear would be maintained from the edge of the diaphragm through the steps. I usually find that additional accuracy is unwarranted. That said, it's easy to be more accurate if you wish. Just do this:
1) Change V on the right edge of panel three to the actual value of the diaphragm shear there.
2) Add point loads to the right sides of panels one and two to represent the additional shear being delivered there.
Often, I'll just go and model the truss assembly as I've shown it in SAP, RISA, etc. It takes no time at all and, once modeled, you can just pull your panel shear values out of the model directly. The shear stress in each panel winds up being F_diagonal / L_diagonal.
CLT49er said:
With the actual triangular diagram the V you show at the bottom left corner of panels 2 and 3 would become a function of the distance from the shear wall (V@notch = V@shearwall - w*x), similar to the example in the Malone book, correct?
Sounds about right. As long as you wind up with a complete set of forces that's statically admissible, I think that you're good to go.
CLT49er said:
I thought about XR205's way but I don't really have any framing at that location that can act as a proper chord.
You may be right. If you post a more detailed sketch of your framing plan, we'll happily review the situation with you.
CLT49er said:
Without a continuous connection between the diaphragm and the CMU (more than just the seats which are about 6 ft apart)
The rollover business doesn't bother me. Again though, we'd need a better feel for what's going on. There's a pretty good chance that the interior CMU walls are going to alter what's going with your diaphragm whether you choose to acknowledge it or not.
CLT49er said:
I feel like if a rip started at one of the notches in the diaphragm south of the chord it could still propagate past the CMU bond beam chord and through the rest of the diaphragm
Yeah, I hear 'ya. And, to some extent, I agree. There's a tendency these days to try to design complex diaphragms to the same level of detail that one might design a notched steel beam etc. I feel like we're taking it too far in many instances. There are many aspects of "real" diaphragm behavior that even the Malone methods don't account for explicitly. Diaphragm design is and will always be a rough approximation. As long as I can demonstrate a reasonable expectation of global diaphragm strength and stiffness, I don't sweat the small stuff.
I like to debate structural engineering theory -- a lot. If I challenge you on something, know that I'm doing so because I respect your opinion enough to either change it or adopt it.