Lateral Stability of Blockwork Building 1

[damo74]

Folks,

I have a query that keeps appearing in front of me and I would like some advice, if possible.

I have blockwork terraced buildings. Most of them would be retail units. As my building is a retail unit, it has a wide window opening located on the ground floor at the front of the building (assume this is the south direction). As I have very little blockwork on the south, I have a lateral stability problem in the east-west direction.

Normally, I have designed a steel or concrete wind portal to support this lateral load. However, I would like to investigate using the block piers at either end of the opening along with a 1st floor beam.

This would be assuming that each of the piers would be behaving like shear walls. To calculate the moments at the bottom of each wall, would you assume each wall behaves like a pure cantilever, or would both piers with the 1st floor beam behave like a frame.

Assume F = lateral load at 1st floor level
Assume h = height from dpc to 1st floor level

Load on each pier (assuming equal stiffness) = 1/2F

Assuming pure cantileverd shear walls, Moment at base of each wall = 1/2F x h.

Assuming that the 2 piers along with the 1st floor beam bahave like a frame, 1) would my moment at the bottom be reduced? 2)would I be correct in assuming no rotation at the top of block wall/steel beam junction?

Any guidance would be appreciated.

 

[rholder98]

I think it would be difficult to get a fixed connection across the CMU/steel joint. Maybe not, but your analysis would have to account for the relative stiffnesses of the piers and the beam, as well as for the different material properties. Assuming you account for all of that, sure, why not? I would be inclined to go with the cantilevered shear walls, myself.

 

[damo74]

Thanks rholder98. I tend to agree.