Shear Walls

Shear walls are vertical walls that are used to stiffen the structural frames of buildings. They help frames resist sideways earthquake forces.

The earthquake forces are transferred to the ground mainly by shear forces in the walls (Explain).

It is better to use walls with no openings in them. So, usually the walls around lift shafts and stairwells are used. Also, walls on the sides of buildings that have no windows can be used.
<p>If you had the flash shockwave plugin you would be able to see an animations of a force being applied to a shear wall.</p><br><img src="img/shearwallbend.gif" WIDTH="303" HEIGHT="288">

 

Strengthening Buildings
                     Shear Walls

from Bristol University