A SIMPLIFIED METHOD POR ANALYSIS OF BUILDING PRAMES SUBJECTED TO LATERAL LOADS

In this paper an approximate method is presented for analysis of building frames subjected to lateral loads such as earthquake induced forces. The method is applicable to regular and irregular moment frames and also frames having any concentric or eccentric bracing system or shear walls as the lateral resisting system. The basic idea of the proposed method is the distribution of lateral loads between frames and other lateral resisting systems based on their overall stiffness, using the concept of matrix structural analysis. The accuracy of the proposed method is shown by comparison of its results with those of some popular computer structural analysis software. It can be concluded that the proposed method is efficient for preliminary analysis of building structures for primary design, and also for manual verification of computer analysis results.