Stiffening of Linked Shear Walls

The field transfer matrix technique is used to investigate the static and dynamic behavior of stiffened linked shear walls. In the determination of the natural frequencies of vibration, the effects of bending, shear and rotatory inertias are included in the analysis. The optimal positions of the stiffening beam are determined to give maximum lateral stiffness, and hence the highest fundamental natural frequency, and minimum tensile stress in the concrete. It is shown that there is an analogy between the behavior of stiffened linked shear walls and outrigger‐braced structures, and the same governing equations apply in each case. The optimal positions for a stiffening beam or an outrigger are identical for the same structural parameters.