Shear Wall Design Method - Point Load

[ron8655]

I am at present designing a shear wall to take a horizontal point load due to wind loading on the frame. I realise the the load will spread at 45 degress from point load. The load will be in the top left corner of shear wall (applied at its edge) and will in effect spread through the wall at 45 degress. THe wall is 215mm thick (take point load applied at centre), 4.5 kN/mm2 compressive force, 4m high and 2m wide. How do I check whether the wall will be capable of taking a compressive force of 19kN.

 

[RARWOOD]

You didn't say what material your wall is construted of. Of course if I converted it to feet and inches I could probably guess.

The first thing to remember is that a shear wall is treated as a cantilever beam. So by looking at it as a beam design you should be able to work your way through your problem.

Your point load is similair to the case or a drag strut in a wood shear wall. With the drag strut you have a load transfer problem with a load that can be either tension or compression. You need to transfer that force in to a boundary element at the top of the shear wall.

Below the drag strut you need to check the shear capacity of the wall to resist the applied force.

 

[civilguy98418]

You need to make sure the left and right edge members can take the compressive stress. Whatever your anchor has to support in tension, so does your edge members in compression.

Typically, applying the duration factors, these compressive streeses are not a concern here with the double stud edges, as the edges (columns) are supported along the weak axis, thus buckling about the weak axis is mitigated.

Do you British actually get "4.5 kN/mm2 compressive force" in any wood design. Pleas let me know if you do, as our wood here in the U.S. only gets a minute fraction of that.

 

[ron8655]

Thnaks for your posts, I should have stated that it is a blockwork wall 215mm thick. I have found a solution which checks the wall against shear forces causing failure of the mortar bed between blocks. Basically the shear stress must be below a value of 0.35 plus a vertical force factor. Vertical force is included as it will strengthen the bond between blocks in a vertical plane.
Compressive strength of blocks result in crushing not really being a factor.
Thanks for your help.