Principal directions under lateral loading in multistorey asymmetric buildings

Abstract

This paper deals with the problem of evaluating the principal directions under lateral loading in multistorey asymmetric buildings with rigid floor diaphragms. To this purpose a rational criterion is suggested and analytical formulae are developed, with the aid of which the principal directions of these buildings can be determined. The proposed principal directions depend on the vertical distribution of the lateral forces applied at the storey levels, while it is assumed that these forces pass through a vertical loading axis. Several numerical examples are presented which demonstrate the applicability of the proposed methodology. Moreover, the examples verify that the principal directions' properties resulting from the proposed procedure are closer to the principal directions' properties of the single-storey building's concept than those suggested by other researchers. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.