AIJ Standard for Structural Design ofReinforced Concrete Boxed-Shaped Wall
Structures

Architectural Institute of Japan

Preface
Reinforced Concrete Box-shaped Wall Structures
This is the English version of the latest Standard of Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ)for Structural Design of Reinforced Concrete Box-shaped Wall Buildings published in
1997. The main objective of publishing this edition is to introduce the standard Japanese
structural design methods of reinforced concrete box-shaped wall structures to foreigncountries.
The residential buildings commonly require wall elements such as exterior blind walls
and interior partition walls between room units although those wall elements are
generally disliked in office buildings. The reinforced concrete box-shaped wall structureis the structural system mostly used for residential apartment houses in which such wall
elements are structurally designed to resist to both vertical and lateral loads. There is nocolumn in the buildings and the width of every beam is the same as the thickness ofadjacent wall. Therefore，these structures look like box-shaped buildings consisting ofwall elements, wall elements with openings and slabs.
After World WarⅡ, Japanese Government was urged to provide a huge amount ofhouses for people. Mass production, fire-resistance, durability, economical superiority
and excellent seismic resistance are the most important keys for those houses. A large
number of reinforced concrete box-shaped apartment houses have been constructedsince 1940s, because they met such demands.
The first edition of the AIJ Structural Design of Reinforced Concrete Box-shaped Wall
Structure was published in 1952 as a part of the “AIJ Structural Design Standard forSpecial Concrete and Masonry Structures.” The number of stories of buildings was fourat the highest then. Major research works have been done based on seismic tests offull-scale building structures. Since then, the Standard has been revised four times basedon the research progress and long-term experiences, and the number of stories wasincreased to five.
The structural design of reinforced concrete box-shaped wall buildings is relatively
simple. The checks under structural provisions concerning wall length per unit floorarea, amount of reinforcing steel bars and the like are essential in the structural design.

Then, the stresses in the members are calculated by the so-called “mean shear stressmethod” and the simplified allowable stress design is conducted.
The structural performance, particularly seismic one should be satisfactorily excellent. It
has been reported that any severe damage, such as concrete crashing and remarkablecrackings in the walls, were not produced to buildings, which were constructed inaccordance with this AIJ Standard, when they experienced severe earthquake whose
peak ground acceleration was greater than 2m/s2. For example, due to the 1995
Hyogo-ken Nambu Earthquake (Kobe Earthquake) in Japan, no significant structural
damages were observed in reinforced concrete box-shaped wall buildings, meanwhile
destructive damages to a large number of buildings by other structural systems werecaused.
Finally, we hope that this standard, the design methodology and design procedures may
highly contribute to the spread of the earthquake resistant buildings in the world.
August 2002
Steering Committee for Wall Construction
Architectural Institute of Japan

Contents

Preface
Introduction
Article 1. General
1. Outline of the Standard
2. Correlative Relations to the “Standard for Structural Calculation of Reinforced Concrete
Structures, AIJ”
3. Special Studies Concerned with the Standard
Article 2. Quality of Materials-Concrete and Reinforcing Bar1.

Quality of Concrete

2.

Quality of Reinforcing Bar

Article 3. Height and Weight of Building
1.

Number of Stories and Height of Building

2.

Weight of Building for Evaluation of Seismic Loads

Article 4. Arrangement and Wall Length Ratio of Bearing Walls
1.

Arrangement of Bearing Wall

2.

Wall Length Ratio

Article 5. Structural Details of bearing walls
1. Bearing Wall Length
2. Thickness of Bearing Walls
3. Shear Reinforcement Ratio of Bearing Walls
4. Reduction in Shear Reinforcement Ratio in the Case Where The Wall Length Ratio
Exceeds the Prescribed Wall Length Ratio
5. Diameter and Spacing of Shear Reinforcement in Bearing Walls
6. Flexural Reinforcement in Bearing Walls
7. Reinforcement at Horizontal Edges of Opening
8. Arrangement of Wall Reinforcement of Bearing Walls
9. Reinforcement at Intersection Between Bearing Wall and Floor and at Corners of

Opening
10. Treatment of Concentrated Stresses Acting on Bearing Walls
Article 6. Structural Details of Wall Girders
1.

Role of Wall Girders2.

Structural Details of Wall Girders

Article 7. Floor and Roof construction
Article 8. Foundation
1. Continuous Foundation and Foundation Beam
2. Principle of Foundation Design
Article 9. Construction PracticeAppendix A Historical Earthquake Damages
Appendix B Earthquake Response of Reinforced Concrete box-shaped Wall Buildings
1.

Objective

2.

A Five Lumped Mass Non-Linear Earthquake Response Model

3.

The Results of the Analysis

4.

Conclusions

Appendix C List of Reinforcing Bars

Introduction

The structural features of reinforced concrete box-shaped wall buildings and thebackground of structural specification
1. The Background of Reinforced Concrete Box-shaped Wall Structures
Reinforced Concrete Box-shaped Wall Structures (hereinafter, abbreviated to WRC) consist of
bearing walls, wall beams, slabs, footing beams and foundations. These structures, which haveexcellent seismic performance and fire-resistance and are low priced construction compared toframe structures, were developed after World War II in order to reconstruct cities in Japan wherea huge number of wooden houses had been burnt out. The Japanese Building Standard Law and
its Enforcement Order prescribe the structural specifications of the buildings having five-storyor less, and 16m or less in the maximum height (amended to 20m or less on June 25, 2001) as
WRC structures, and this type of structure is one of the most popular buildings for residential
apartment houses in Japan.
2. Structural Characteristics
The structural features of WRC structures are as follows;・High seismic performance (according to the damage of the past earthquakes, the damage ratioof WRC structures is much smaller than that of other types of structures.)・Fire resistance (the performance is as good as that of RC structures.)・Economical superiority (bearing walls are as thick as wall girders.)
3. The Targeted Structural Performance and the Background of Design Standard
The required structural performance of this structure is as follows and the structural standard isestablished to meet these required structural performance.
i)
For moderate earthquake motions, buildings should not produce crackings on
bearing walls.
ii)
For extremely large earthquake motions, buildings should not collapse or fall.
The followings are the counter measures to realize the above requirements.
1) The Prevention of Developing the Shear Cracks on Bearing Walls During Moderate
Earthquake Motions
The shear stress intensity in bearing walls during moderate earthquake motions on every story
and in every direction should be less than temporary loading allowable shear stress of concrete
being used, in order not to produce cracks on the bearing walls.
Seismic shear force on every story and in every direction during moderate earthquake motions1

is calculated for the standard shear force factor Co=0.2) which is prescribed in Enforcement
Order.
The forces and moments are calculated by the so called “mean shear stress method”. Namely,
they are calculated by the mean shear stress of the bearing walls given by dividing the story
shear force by total wall areas in every direction of the story considered, and the reflection point
is assumed to be middle of clear height of each wall.
2) The Prevention of the Collapse of Buildings during Extremely Large Earthquake Motions
The design story shear force prescribed in Enforcement Order during extremely large
earthquake motions (standard shear force factor Co =1.0) is five times as much as that during
moderate earthquake motions (standard shear force factor Co =0.2). However, this magnitude is
reduced, considering the ductility of structures. Enforcement Order defines such reduction value
as structural factor (Ds) and the value of Ds is about 0.5 for this type of structures. Finally, forexample, this magnitude for the first story almost corresponds to half of the total weight of abuilding.
In order to secure the structural safety against for such story shear, some structural
specifications are prescribed in the structural design. The minimum wall length per unit floorarea as well as the minimum wall thickness in order to control the shearing stress of the wall
during the extremely large earthquake motions is one of such important specifications. Also
steel bar arrangement specifications and bearing wall arrangement/configuration, etc. are very
important specifications to secure structural safety. The mean shear force of walls based on suchrequirement as minimum wall length ratio is about less than 1 N/mm2 for extremely large
earthquake motions.
The seismic structural characteristics was previously experimented with three specimens offull-scale five story WRC. The ultimate mean shear stress of bearing walls of the experimental
result of five story three-dimensional specimens was about 2 N/mm2 when the maximum force
were loaded.
Any severe damage has not been investigated in structures designed in accordance with this AIJ
Structural Standard, even after severe earthquakes including the 1995 Hyogo-ken Nambu
Earthquake.

2

Article 1. General
1. This Standard described herein can be applied to the structural design of buildings, in which their load
bearing systems consist of reinforced concrete (hereafter abbreviated as RC) load bearing walls. The
RC load bearing walls should carry both vertical loads (such as those of dead, live and other loads) andlateral loads such as those generated by earthquake excitation. RC buildings, to which this Standard
can be applied, are hereinafter referred as RC box-shaped wall buildings. This Standard can beapplied to the structural design of parts of RC box-shaped wall structural assemblages within abuilding.
2. For the parts of RC construction, which are not covered by this Standard, the specifications described in
the “Standard for Structural Calculation of Reinforced Concrete Structures” published by theArchitectural Institute of Japan (hereafter referred as AIJ RC Calculation Standard) should be applied.

3. For buildings designed based upon special studies, a part and/or parts of articles of this Standard neednot to be applied provided that the structural performance of the building is revealed equal to or better
than that for the building designed in accordance with the specifications described in the Standard.

1.

Outline of the Standard

In structural design of residential buildings, load bearing walls can be used as the main structural
system within the building. In a frame structure, however, reinforced concrete (hereafter
abbreviated as RC) wall elements (such as wing walls, hanging walls and spandrel walls attached toeither columns or beams) are not usually considered as structural components. The strength
contributed by those elements, if any, is not usually taken into account in structural design.
For low-rise buildings, a new design methodology is developed, for which the dimensions of bothcolumn and beam elements are taken similar to the thickness of wall elements and the structuralproperties of the wall elements are positively taken into account in structural design. Since thedimensions of the column and beam elements are taken similar to those of wall elements, planebox-shaped wall elements can be used as structural components, leading to a simple and clear room
space within the building. The above-mentioned properties are those that characterize the so-called
box-shaped wall structural system described in this Standard. The structural performance of RC
box-shaped wall buildings is excellent, particularly against the lateral loads generated by seismic
action. It was reported that damage, such as severe crackings in wall panels, was not produced toresidential apartment buildings of the RC box-shaped wall structures during intense seismic action,in which the peak ground acceleration of greater than 2m/s.2 was obtained. After the 1995
Hyogo-ken Nanbu Earthquake in Kobe, Japan, producing a large number of damaged buildings, nosignificant structural damage was observed in the RC box-shaped wall apartment houses in andaround the intense seismic areas. The observation upon the damage revealed the excellent seismic
performance of RC box-shaped wall buildings specified in the articles described hereinafter.
The following experimental studies on the RC box-shaped wall structures were conducted.

3

(1) Study No. 1: lateral loading test on a full-scaled 5-story RC box-shaped wall apartment
house with regular wall arrangement along its longitudinal direction.
(2) Study No. 2: lateral loading test on a two-thirds scaled RC box-shaped wall apartment
house with regular wall arrangement along its longitudinal direction. Three
specimens were prepared, representing the lower two stories of a 5-story building.
Based on these experimental studies, it is concluded that RC box-shaped wall buildings designed
according to the specifications of this Standard have sufficient ultimate lateral load carrying
capacity against a seismic action of peak ground acceleration of 2 to 3m/s2. The level of peakacceleration described above corresponds to that defined as the maximum credible earthquake
motion during the building service life in “Design Earthquake Load (Draft in 1976, Architectural
Institute of Japan)” and “Enforcement Order (amended in 1980 and enforced in 1981)” of the
Building Standard Law of Japan.
A large number of RC box-shaped wall apartment houses were constructed in years of 1940s to
1960s providing living spaces in Japan. One of the possible reasons for the mass production of the
RC box-shaped wall apartment houses is its economic efficiency. At a moderate cost, a large
number of houses could be constructed. After World War II, Japanese Government was urged toprovide a large amount of houses for people. At that time, the RC box-shaped wall apartment
houses were commonly constructed and simply called “RC apartment houses.”
In Notification No. 1790 of Ministry of Construction, which was reorganized as Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure and Transport in January, 2001, Japanese Government (issued on November 27, 1980
and amended in 2001), simplified structural calculation root was specified to the buildings meetingthe following criteria:(1) An RC building, whose height is not greater than 20 in meter, and(2) A building in which the cross-sectional areas of columns and walls Ac and Aw of thebuilding should satisfy the condition in Equation (1.1)1.
For such buildings, it is not necessary to evaluate the ultimate strength properties of building in theso-called phase II seismic design in Japanese practices. When the condition shown in Eq. (1.1) issatisfied, it can be verified that the condition required in Building Standard Law is fulfilled without
further detailed examination of the condition that the building should have a sufficient level ofseismic performance against the maximum possible seismic load.
∑ 2.5Aw + ∑ 0.7Ac ≥ ∑ ZWAi
1

The expression of Eq. (1.1) was modified in August 2001.
within Eq. (1.1).

(1.1)
The design concrete strength Fc was taken into the consideration

Within this edition, however, Eq. (1.1) in the previous expression is employed.

4where,Aw: horizontal cross-sectional area of a load bearing wall in each story level placed in thelongitudinal or transverse direction under consideration of building in mm2,
Ac: horizontal cross-sectional area of a column or a wall that is not regarded as a load
bearing wall in each story level in the longitudinal or transverse direction underconsideration of building in mm2,
Z: seismic zone factor specified in Clause 1, Article 88 of Enforcement Order, BuildingStandard Law that specifies the seismicity in Japan taking from 0.7 to 1.0;
W: sum of the dead and live loads supported by the story level under examination that canbe obtained in Enforcement Orders in Japanese practice in Newton (N) , andAi: factor that specifies the shear force distribution along the building elevation, which canbe evaluated in Notification No. 1793, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.
RC box-shaped wall buildings designed in accordance with the specifications of the Standard
satisfy Eq. (1.1), since they generally have a sufficiently large cross-sectional area of ∑Aw in
Equation (1.1).
In order to keep the design process simple without the need of sophisticated analytical tools, theStandard should be applied to simple structural systems. This Standard is not applicable to thefollowing cases,

2.

(1)

Buildings having an irregular shape, whose plan cannot be well modeled in a rectangularshape,(2)

Buildings with excessively large live load compared to that of an ordinary dwelling house,
and those whose average weight of building per unit area wi is greater than 1.2x104N/m2,(3)

Buildings in which a rigid frame system consisting of columns and beams is included
within a box-shaped wall system, and(4)

Buildings having a story in which the wall area ratio defined by ∑Aw /Si is fairly small
compared to those evaluated for other stories, where ∑Aw is sum of horizontal areas of the
bearing walls in the direction under consideration at the i-th story level, and Si is the floorarea at the i-th story level.

Correlative Relations to the “Standard for Structural Calculation of Reinforced Concrete
Structures, AIJ”

Since the constituent components of RC box-shaped wall buildings are essentially made of5reinforced concrete, the structural design for RC box-shaped wall buildings, in principle, should be
performed in accordance with the Standard for Structural Calculation of Reinforced Concrete
Structures (AIJ RC Calculation Standard). Not all specifications necessary for the RC box-shaped
wall buildings are included in AIJ RC Calculation Standard. Therefore, the Standard herein is
prepared to specify the articles necessary for the design of RC box-shaped wall buildings. The
specifications required for design that are not found in this Standard should be referred to thosedescribed in AIJ RC Calculation Standard.
3. Special Studies Concerned with the Standard
For the RC box-shaped wall system, a large number of issues concerned with structural properties
have remained unevaluated. Therefore, some articles of this Standard might be somehow
conservative. Buildings designed based on special studies and investigations is exempted from apart of specifications described in the Standard, provided that the structural properties obtained
from the special studies are equivalent to or higher than those specified in the Standard.

6

Article 2. Quality of Materials -Concrete and Reinforcing Bar-

1. The concrete used for the RC box-shaped wall buildings should be in accordance with the specification
described in the Article 3 of AIJ Standard for Structural Calculation of Reinforced Concrete
Structures. The design strength of concrete should be equal to or greater than 18N/mm2.
2. The reinforcing steel bars used for the RC box-shaped wall buildings should have qualities equal to or
higher than those of SD295A specified in JIS (Japan Industrial Standard) G3112, which specifies thequalities of reinforcing steel bars for reinforced concrete structural systems.

1.

Quality of Concrete

The design principle of the Standard is to keep the human lives safe against the possible maximum
earthquake ground motion that a building would experience during its service life. If a brittle
shear failure occurs in a load bearing wall that supports the dead and live loads, an undesirable
collapse mechanism might be produced which can cause the loss of human lives. The Standard,
therefore, provides the minimum requirements to prevent brittle shear failures of load bearing walls
subjected to the specified earthquake ground motion.
The load bearing walls of RC box-shaped wall buildings have neither columns nor beams placedaround the wall panel to confine the development of shear. Once a shear cracking is generated, theshear force bearing capacity is drastically decreased unless a significant amount of shear
reinforcement bars in wall panels are arranged. If shear crackings are generated in the load
bearing wall, other load bearing walls would be damaged due to redistribution of shear force.
Shear crackings generated in the load bearing walls supporting the vertical loads are hard to be
repaired.
Based on the above facts, RC box-shaped wall buildings should be designed to remain in the elastic
range for seismic loads. The level of seismic load considered herein is that of the building might
encounter several times during its service life, whose peak ground acceleration is 80 to 100cm/s2
under the seismic circumstances in Japan.
During the 1978 Miyagi-ken Oki Earthquake in Japan with the peak ground acceleration of about
2m/s2 in the affected areas, no significant shear crackings were observed in wall panels according to
the reconnaissance investigation on the 131 RC box-shaped wall apartment houses, which had been
designed in accordance with this Standard in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, conducted by Building
Research Institute, Independent Administrative Institution of Ministry of Land, Infrastructure andTransport.
The Standard specifies the minimum design concrete strength FC as 18N/mm2 for both normal andlightweight concretes. The maximum design concrete strength is not specified in the Standard.
However, it should be noticed that the design formulae proposed and utilized in this Standard have7

been examined their appropriateness for normal and lightweight concretes with design strength not
in excess of 36N/mm2 and 27N/mm2, respectively. High water-cement ratio for low strength
concrete may cause drying shrinkage crackings. From a point of waterproofness, it should be
avoided to use concrete with strength lower than 18n/mm2 for the RC box-shaped wall buildings
composed of thin wall members.
If lightweight concrete is used for the underground structures of buildings such as basement walls,
foundations and others, which directly contact with moist soil or water, JASS 5(Article 10.2) should
be referred for the minimum protective concrete cover and other probable issues.
2.

Quality of Reinforcing Bar

The deformed steel bars SD295A specified in JIS G 3112 (Reinforcing bars for reinforced concrete)should be used. The other bars equivalent to the above specification can be used. While thewelded wire mesh having a wire diameter of 4 mm or greater can be used for reinforced concretebuildings, it cannot be used for an RC box-shaped wall buildings, because of the lack ofexperimental studies for an RC box-shaped wall system.
The welded wire mesh having a wire diameter of 6mm or greater, however, can be used for floorslabs exclusively, in accordance with Article 13 of the AIJ RC Calculation Standard.

8Article 3. Height and Weight of Building

1. The number of stories of an RC box-shaped wall building designed by the Standard should be equal toor less than five. The maximum height of the building should be 16m or less, and the maximum
story height should be 3m or less as well. At the top story, the maximum story height can be 3.3m or
less.

2. At each story level within the building, the ratio of the average weight of the building divided by thefloor area should be 1.2x104N/m2 or less. The average weight of the building calculated at the i-thstory level is given by: (1) first taking the sum of weights of the i-th and upper stories; and (2)secondly dividing the obtained total weight by the number of floor slabs positioned above the i-th story
level. Weight of the building is determined from that used for the calculation of the seismic load.

1.

Number of Stories and Height of Building

As described in the commentary for Article 1, both the lateral load and deformation capacity of
5-story RC box-shaped wall buildings having regular shape were verified by seismic damage
surveys on buildings and experimental studies either on a full-scale three dimensional test specimen
or two-thirds scaled two-dimensional test specimens. These studies indicated that the RC
box-shaped wall buildings have a sufficient level of seismic performance against earthquake groundmotions having peak acceleration of about 300 to 400cm/s2, which are considered as a possible
maximum earthquake ground motion during the service life of building.
For medium-rise buildings with six stories or more, a certain amount of ductility capacities shall be
required along with lateral load carrying capacities required in the guidelines and/or specification
examined in the following. In “Building Structural Design Guidelines for RC box-shaped Wall
Buildings with Six through Eight Stories (January 1980)” issued by Urban Development
Cooperation (hereafter UDC) in Japan and approved by Ministry of Land, Infrastructure andTransport, Japanese Government, specifications for ensuring ductility of constituent members areprescribed: (1) in the longitudinal direction of building along which the wall area ratio (mm2/m2) issmall in general cases, wall thickness should be increased to obtain sufficient amounts of bothductility and strength; (2) sufficient amount of stirrups should be provided for wall girders and/or
beams; and (3) the failure mode of building should be ductile flexural yielding mode, and brittle
shear failure mode should be avoided.
The Standard herein exclusively covers RC box-shaped wall buildings having a regular shape withfive stories or less. For these buildings, no specific prescriptions are required to ensure ductility
capacity of building. The specifications in the following are prescribed for apartment houses
widely designed in Japan: (1) the height of building (height to the eaves), should be 16m or less; (2)the height of each story including the basement, if any, should be 3m or less; and (3) the height of
the top story can be increased up to 3.3m for ventilation and/or thermal insulation and other utilities.
9Special consideration should be taken for parapets placed on roof floor slabs. Large acceleration
responses are generated during a strong ground motion, since the lateral stiffness of a parapet in theout-of-plane is generally less than that of the building itself. Broken fragments of a damaged
parapet might cause serious injuries and possible loss of human lives. It is not desirable to place
unnecessarily high and large parapets. Rigid care should be paid to the design and construction
work as well.
According to Japanese regulations, a penthouse structure, whose floor area is one eighth or less ofthat of the top floor and whose height is 3.3m or less, is not counted for a story of building. For abuilding with the penthouse described above, the number of the story of the building is regarded asthat excluding the penthouse structure.
In Japanese regulations, for a building whose story is 3m or higher, there is a specification thatstructural safety of the building should be verified by either structural calculation/analysis orexperimental studies. The Standard for RC box-shaped wall buildings herein allows the story
height of 3.3m at maximum for the top story. If the roof has a slope, the distance from the floorslab level of the top story to the highest point of sloped roof should be 4m or less.
2.

Weight of Building for Evaluation of Seismic Loads

This Standard allows it possible to design structures of RC box-shaped wall buildings in a
simplified manner. This Standard herein should not be applied for some special buildings such as
those having a large-scale plan, those having excessively large weight, and those for special use
with either irregular configuration or specific weight. The average weight of building per unit floorarea can be used for simplified structural calculation. The average weight per floor area defined
herein indicates the seismic load per unit floor area at the story level concerned. The average
weight defined hereby can be applied to all the stories of building.
The process of evaluation of the average weight per unit floor area is indicated as follows. An
average weight of building is evaluated by the weight of building Wi, the total floor area Si at thestory level i, and the number of floor slabs positioned above the i-th story level as indicated inCommentary Table 3.1. Even if the weight per unit floor area is small at the story level iconcerned, the lateral load generated during earthquake motions at the story level i may becomelarge, if the average weight per unit area of the building is large.

10

C. Table 3.1 Average weight per unit floor area wi (N/mm2) of story ifor lateral load evaluation: A three-story building.
(In case where the floor area of a penthouse structure is no more than one-eighth of that of the top floor and heightis less than 3.3m)
Story Level

Weightof Story i

Weightat Story Level iFloor Areaof Story Level i

3

W3

W3

S3

w3= W3/S3

2

W2

W2+W3

S2

w2= 1/2 (W2+W3)/S2

1

W1

W1+W2+W3

S1

w1= 1/3 (W1+W2+W3)/S1

Average Weight wi

Penthouse is not included in the number ofstories of building
Penthouse
W3
Third Story
W2
Second Story
W1
First Story

The weight of penthouse
is included in the weightof the third story W3.

11

Article 4 Arrangement and Wall Length Ratio of Bearing Walls
1. The bearing walls should be arranged in good balance on the floor plans of the building.
2. In both transverse and longitudinal directions in each story, the value derived from dividing the total
length of bearing walls (in mm) prescribed in Article 5 by the floor area of that story (in m2) (hereafter
the wall length ratio) should be more than the value in Table 1. Here, if the upper story has a balconyor the like, half or more of its area should be added. The floor area used for calculation of the wall
length ratio should be equal to or larger than the respective values given in Table 1. If the thickness tof the bearing wall is greater than the thickness t0 shown in Article 5, the wall length rate is decreased
proportionally by the ratio of t/t0. However, the actual total length (not increased proportionally) (inmm) of the bearing walls divided by the floor area (in m2) for calculation of the wall length ratio ofthat story should be equal to or greater than the respective values given in Table 1 minus 30 mm/m2.

Table 1 The required Wall length ratio
Walllengthratio (mm/m2)

Story

Stories above
the groundSingle-storied building or story levels with or higher
than the third story counted down from the top story

120

Story levels with or lower than the fourth story
counted down from the top story

150

Basement floors

1.

200

Arrangement of Bearing Wall

An appropriate arrangement planning of bearing walls is the first step to a sound design of an RC
box-shaped wall building. Basic matters about floor and elevation planning are given below as a
guideline in the design of an RC box-shaped wall building.
(a) Floor Planning of Bearing Walls
Commentary Figure 4.1(a) shows a box-shaped building in a deformed state subjected toearthquake load Q at the roof slab. CDHG, ABDC, BFHD, etc. represent bearing walls.
Commentary Figure 4.1 (C) shows the force transferred from the roof slab in relation to
deformation, that is, a bearing wall deformed under a lateral load. From the point of view of theroof slab, the resultant of lateral loads Qi transferred from the bearing walls is in equilibrium withthe earthquake load Q. Supposing that the bearing wall has no resistance to out-of-plane forces, theforce Qi in Commentary Figure 4.1 (c) is parallel to AB and proportional to the displacement δ.
Therefore, as shown in Commentary Figure 4.1 (d), the bearing wall i can be replaced by an elastic
member IC in which reaction Qi develops against δ.

12

C. Fig.4.1 Behavior of rigid floor CDHG of a building having a bearing wall i on the plane ofstructure ABDC, and an elastic member IC supposed to support the rigid floor for
representing this behavior

Unstable

Unstable

Stable andStable with one
statically determinate degree of staticalindeterminancy

Stable with twodegrees of staticalindeterminancy

C. Fig. 4.2 The behavior of the rigid floor supported by bearing walls i, j, l, r and m, elastic members i,j, l, r and m

If the bearing walls are modeled to elastic members, the problem is reduced to a problem of a rigid
floor (or roof slab) supported by elastic members which are easier to treat. Commentary Figures
4.2(a) to (e) show the plans of buildings, the bold lines representing bearing walls.
A building having two bearing walls l and j as shown in Commentary Figure 4.2 (a) can be replaced
by a rigid floor supported by elastic members l and j shown in Commentary Figure 4.2 (a').
Needless to say, such a structure is unstable. The arrangement shown in Commentary Figure 4.2(b) is also unstable since the roof slab can rotate about the intersection of the bearing walls l and j,13and no horizontal resistance of the bearing walls can be expected. With the arrangement inCommentary Figure 4.2 (c), the horizontal resistance of the bearing walls can be expected. The
arrangement shown in Commentary Figure 4.2 (c') is statically determinate and the lateral force
acting on each elastic member is independent of the rigidity of the elastic member (bearing wall)and is determined from the equilibrium of forces. If bearing walls are arranged as shown inCommentary Figure 4.2 (d) and (e), the share in lateral loads of the bearing walls are dependent on
the rigidity of the bearing walls and can be derived from solving the replaced staticallyindeterminate trusses.
It is obvious that the arrangement of bearing walls in Commentary Figures 4.2 (a) and (b) areunstable. It should be noted, however, that the wall arrangements shown in Commentary Figure 4.3
are all unstable. Point G in the figures is the center of rotation, that is, the center of rigidity.

[Note] The point “O” is the center of gravity

C. Fig.4.3 Examples of unstable bearing wall arrangement

As can be easily seen from the above figures, the necessary condition of a stable wall arrangement
is that there are two or more intersections of wall lines (including extensions) of bearing walls in theplane.
Apart from the unstable structures given above, torsion occurs in the building unless the bearing
walls are arranged in good balance. Therefore, the roof slab and floor slabs (hereafter called thefloor slabs, generically) move and rotate around the center of rigidity G, and variations in magnitudeof shear forces occur in the bearing walls apart from the center of rotation (center of rigidity) G. The
design should consider those increases in shear forces. Commentary Figure 4.3 shows an example
which would rotate. In this case, the design shear forces of the bearing walls in the planes ofstructure Yi in the x-direction and the planes of structure Xj in the y-direction at distances yi and xi
respectively from the center of rigidity G are derived from multiplying the values of shear force
occurring when the rotation of the floor slab is ignored by the respective modification factors αxi
and αyj given by Equations (4.1-a and -b).

14

Planes of structure Xi(DA,yj, Dyj)

Planes of structure Yi (DA,xi, Dxi)

C. Fig.4.4 Symbols of planes of structure in x- and y-directions and symbols of DA and D of
the plane of structure

α xi = 1 + Rex

α yj = 1 + R ey

e y yi
yi
=1+
⋅
r ex
rex rex
xj

= 1+

rey

(4.1-a)ex x j⋅rey rey(4.1-b)where,
Rex and Rey

Rex =

Rey =

: eccentric ratio of the story concerned in the directions x
and y.

ey(4.2-a)

rex

ex
rey

(4.2-b)where,

ey and ex: distances in mm between the center of gravity O of the weightof building W on the story concerned and the center of rigidity
G on the story concerned, respectively,

rex and rey : spring radius in the calculation directions x and y .
KT ≒
≠
rex =
Kx

∑ Dxi ⋅ yi + ∑ D yi ⋅ x j
∑ Dxi
2

2

(4.3-a)15

∑ Dxi ⋅ yi + ∑ D yj ⋅ x j
KT
≠
rey =
Ky
∑ D yj2

2(4.3-b)Since out-of-plane horizontal rigidity of bearing walls is much less than the in-plane horizontal
rigidity, KT, Kx and Ky are given by Equations (4.4) and (4.5-a and -b).
Where,

KT : torsional rigidity (N/mm) about the center of rigidity G on thestory under consideration.
≒
KT ≠∑ D A,xi ⋅ yi + ∑ D A,yj ⋅ x j
2

2

(4.4)

where,

Kx and Ky : horizontal rigidities (N/mm) in the calculation directions x
and y on the story under consideration.
≒

K x ≠ ∑ D A,xi

(4.5-a)≒K y ≠ ∑ D A,yi

(4.5-b)

Where,
DA, xi and D A, yj : story shear forces (N/mm) in the plane of structure necessary tobring about a unit relative story lateral displacement (mm) in
the planes of structure Yi in the x-direction and in the planes ofstructure Xj in the y-direction respectively at distances yi and xj
respectively from the center of rigidity G,
Dxi and Dyj : value DA, xi or DA, yj on each plane of structure normalized by astandard value DA0, that is, the coefficients of shear force
distribution factor in the planes of structure Yi in the x-direction
and the planes of structure Xj in the y-direction respectively at
distances yi and xj from the center of rigidity G,
yi and xj : distances of planes of structure Yi in the x-direction and planesof structure Xj in the y-direction from the center of rigidity G,
taken positive if the plane of structure lies on the same side as
the center of gravity O of W on the story under consideration(see Commentary Figure 4.4).

To lessen the increase of the shear force in a bearing wall due to the rotation of the floor slab, the16values of αxi and αyj given by Equations (4.1-a and -b) must be close to unity . For that:i)reducing the distances ey and ex in the y- and x-directions from the center of gravity O
to the center of rigidity G of W, andii) increasing rex and rey by increasing the torsional rigidity KT about the center of rigidity.
Article 82-3 of Enforcement Order lays down for specified buildings with 31 m high or lower that
Rex and Rey should satisfy the conditions of Equations (4.6-a and -b) on every story unless verifyingthat the horizontal load-carrying capacity of each story is equal to or higher than the necessary
horizontal load-carrying capacity of the story under consideration.
Rex ≤ 0.15

(4.6-a)Rey ≤ 0.15

(4.6-b)In the case of a building with the RC box-shaped wall structures in the x-direction and moment
resisting frame structures in the y-direction, or other building with dissimilar types of structural
systems in each direction, the value of KT becomes small, and coefficients αxi and αyi becomelarge in case where the distances ey and ex are large. Such buildings are excluded from the scope of
application of this Standard (see the Commentaries on Article 1.).
When a building is irregular-shaped and remarkably different from the concept of rectangular in aplan, even if the bearing walls are arranged in a good balance in each of the portions into which theplan is appropriately divided, large boundary stresses are developed in the divided portions andthese boundary stresses cause each portion to be distorted individually unless the horizontal story
drift in the calculation direction is equal in the all portions. Since it is not easy to obtain the exact
behavior of each portion during an earthquake, such a building is excluded from the scope of
application of this Standard (see the Commentaries on Article 1.).
Unevenness in the rigidity due to different aspect ratios of the bearing walls and local defects in the
bearing walls may produce local excessive stresses and cause cracks to develop in the bearing walls.
However, they tend to be resolved by redistribution of stresses if the bearing wall is appropriately
reinforced. On the other hand, local excessive imposition of shear stresses in the bearing wall due
to an unbalanced bearing wall arrangement tends to advance, because the distance between thecenter of rigidity G and the center of gravity O of W generally increases once cracks ascribable to it
occur in the bearing wall. Therefore, proper care must be taken in floor planning regarding tobearing wall arrangement.

17Plane of structure A
Plane of structure
B

Plane of structure C

Elevation of plane ofstructure A

Plan

unit

Elevation of plane ofstructure B

Elevation of plane ofstructure C

C. Fig. 4.5 Plan of a 5-story apartment house of RC box-shaped wall structure "Type63-5N-2DK-4" designed by UDC and elevations of a test piece simulating lower twostories of its planes of structure in the longitudinal direction

Commentary Figure 4.5 shows a 5-story apartment house of RC box-shaped wall structure which
was designed by UDC and its planes of structures A, B and C of the first and second stories in thelongitudinal direction on a reduced scale of 2/3 (the width of floor slabs connected to the planes ofstructures A, B and C being 1,065, 1,500 and 1,500 mm). On this structure, a lateral loading test
was carried out according to the seismic intensity coefficient along the height prescribed in Article
88 of the Enforcement Order in relation to earthquake loads. The story drift angle of the first story
when subjected to the design load (the value of mean shear stress in the bearing wall on the firststory 5τD1 is = 0.318N/mm2) is 5R1 = 0.14 × 10-3, supposing 0.2 of seismic intensity coefficient oneach story. The test result of shear distribution coefficient in each plane of structure corresponding
to this story drift angle is derived as follows:
DxA = 1.5, DxB = 0.32, and DxC = 1.0

Using the values obtained above for the shear distribution coefficient on each plane of structure in
the longitudinal direction (in the following treatment, the longitudinal direction is taken as thex-direction, and the transverse direction as the y-direction. (see Commentary Figure 4.6.)), theeccentric ratio Rex is calculated on a trial basis for a two apartment units in each story (because rex
18increases and the eccentric ratio Rex calculated from Equation (4.2-a) decreases as the number ofapartment units increases like four, six and larger, the case of a two apartment units in each story
giving a maximum value of Rex is taken up as an example) and is given below for reference.
The following assumptions are set up:ⅰ) Assuming that the sum of dead and live loads on the dwelling and balcony areas oneach story is 12,000 and 6,000 N/m2 respectively, obtain W and its center of gravity O.
ii) For the shear distribution coefficient DyⅠ of the plane of structure I (see Commentary
Figure 4.6.) in the y-direction not under test, assume that the rigidity ratio DxA /DyⅠ of
the plane of structure A to the plane of structure I is given by the formula proposed by
Dr. Muto related to the reduction factor r of shear rigidity for a bearing wall with asmall opening and find DyⅠ using the following equation:
D yI =

D xA
D xA
=
r
1.0 - 1.25p

p=

area of opening: perimeter ratio of opening .
area of wallfor p ≤ 0.4

where,

Plane of structure A (1.5)
Plane of structure

Plane of structure A (1.5)
Plane of structure II

Plane of structure I
Plane of structure B (0.32)

Plane of structure
Plane of structure B (0.32)
Plane of structure III

Plane of structure C (1.0)

Plane of structure C (1.0)

Note: The values in ( ) are shear distribution coefficients with theshear distribution coefficient of the plane of structure C taken as unity.

C. Fig. 4.6(Unit: cm)

5-story Type 63-5N-2DK-4 two unit apartment house for which the eccentric ratio Rex
in the first story was examined. The positions of the center of rigidity G and the centerof gravity O of W, and the shear distribution coefficient on each plane of structure areshown.

Using both the perimeter ratio of opening p = 0.38 of the structure A and the shear
19

distribution coefficient DxA = 1.5 of the structure A, DyⅠ=2.85 is obtained.

Within theexamination, DyI =2.5 is taken, considering that underestimating DyI can lead to an
overestimation (estimation on the safe side in design) of Rex and αxi.
iii) The existence of the structure II in the y-direction may be neglected because it does
not contributes to the torsional rigidity KT about the center of rigidity G.
The positions of center of rigidity G and center of gravity O of W are calculated using theassumptions above and they are shown in Commentary Figure 4.6. The eccentric distance to theearthquake load Qx acting on O in the x-direction from G is as follows:
ey = 760 mm
As a result, ∑ Dxi･yi2, ∑ Dyj･xj2 and ∑ Dxi lead to:∑ Dxi･yi2 =2(1.5×2.412 +0.32×0.692 +1.0×3.382 )×106 mm2Structure A, Structure B, Structure C= 40.6 × ×106 mm2∑ Dyj･xj2 = 2 × 2.5 × 6.962 × 106 mm2 (Structure I)= 242.2 × × 106 mm2∑ Dxi = 2(1.5 + 0.32 + 1.0) = 5.64
(Structures A, B and C)
By substituting the results above into Equation (4.3-a), rex is obtained as follows:
rex＝40.6 + 242.2
×103 ＝7,080 mm
5.64

Therefore, the eccentric ratio Rex given by Equation (4.2-a) leads to:
Rex＝

760
＝0.11 < 0.15
7,080

which satisfies the condition of Equation (4.6-a).
As is obvious from the example of calculation above, the value of ΣDyj･xj2 of a bearing wall in they-direction, perpendicular to the direction of the earthquake load Qx make a remarkable contribution
for increasing the value of rex. It also contributes much to increase the torsional rigidity KT of thestory .
In case where an earthquake load Qy is applied in the y-direction (partition wall direction), ex
becomes zero and the eccentric ratio Rey given by Equation (4.2-b) results in null.
In case where upper stories are setback shaped in the x- or y-direction, the value of ey or ex isincreased, and therefore the modification factor αxi or αyj given by Equations (4.1-a and -b) is20

increased. However, since the dead and live loads of the upper stories are reduced, the earthquake
load Qx and Qy are reduced. As a result, it is generally recognized that the shear forces in abearing wall are not increased due to the setback of upper stories, unless the value of rex or rey isextremely small.
(b) Elevation Planning of Bearing Walls
There are many cases where the designer pays much attention to the floor planning of bearing walls.
Since the bearing walls are charged with the duty of transmitting the earthquake load acting on thebuilding to the ground through the foundation structure, proper attention must be given to theelevation planning as well. The wall girder mutually connecting bearing walls is charged with theimportant role of preventing the bearing walls from becoming rifting or overturning and preventing
the decreasing shear resistance of the bearing walls by the flexural and shear resistance at its
boundary ends (see Commentary Figure 4.7.). In case where, this wall girder yields by flexure in an
early stage, the bearing walls do not carry expected horizontal loads (see Commentary Figure 4.8.).
Noting that a large shear resistance can be expected only when the bearing walls cooperate as
integrated unit, the wall girders connecting the bearing walls each other must have both sufficientrigidity and strength (see the Commentaries on Article 6.).
In Commentary Figure 4.7, bearing walls are arranged to be vertically continuous, and thisarrangement can be regarded practically safe for relatively low rise buildings to which this Standard
is applied.
For bearing walls not arranged to be vertically continuous, it is desirable to connect them at their
tops and bottoms by wall girders of sufficient rigidity and strength as well as to provide verticalsupports under the bottom of the bearing walls which can effectively prevent them from rotating.
These supports are desirably placed as near the both sides of the bearing wall as possible so that therotation of the bearing wall is effectively suppressed. The following arrangements are conceivable:i)arrange the bearing walls vertically so that the top of the lower wall is placed with alap to the bottom of the upper wall,ii) place a lower bearing wall perpendicular to the upper walls, andiii) provide supporting members to the walls.

21

Seismic force

Wall girder

Seismic
force

C. Fig.4.8

Multistory bearing walls making

hinges at the ends of wall girders at the boundaries
forming the total collapse mode

C. Fig.4.7

Balance of horizontal forces acting on multistory bearing wall

In case where the supported area is small, a large stress concentration occurs in these supporting
members, so that proper attention must be given to the reinforcement of the members (see theCommentaries on Clause 10, Article 5). Either attaching ribs to the supporting members or
making their plan type to be L, T or ＋ is effective in the prevention of local buckling. If bearing
walls are sufficiently stiffened individually at the periphery and floor planning is appropriately
executed, stress concentration and flexural deformation are smaller than those in the multistory
continuous bearing wall.
In a story having a much smaller horizontal rigidity than other stories, the story deformation angle
is larger than the value defined by the Ai distribution effect. Therefore, Article 82-3 of the
Enforcement Order stipulates for specified buildings 31 meter high or less that the story stiffness
ratio Rsi in the calculation direction in the i-th story given by Equation (4.7) should satisfy thecondition of Equation (4.10) in every story unless it is verified that the horizontal load-carrying
capacity of each story is equal to or greater than the necessary horizontal load-carrying capacity ofthe story under consideration.

22

n
r
R
Rsi = si = n i1
rs∑i =1 Ri(4.7)

where,
Ri : story deformation angle on the i-th story,
rsi : reciprocal of Ri on the i-th story,
1
Ri

rsi =

(4.8)

r s : arithmetic mean of rsi taken across the building (with n stories) , and
rs=

1 n 1
∑
n i =1 Ri(4.9)

Rsi ≥ 0.6

(4.10)

In case where the standard shear force coefficient C0 is 0.2, the mean shear stresses τ i (≤ τ 0i , see
Commentary Table 4.3) of the bearing walls in each story are all small and the bearing walls behave
in an elastic range. Thus, assuming that the values of Ri/ τ i in each story are equal in the direction x
or y, in the case of the wall length ratio Li of bearing walls and the wall thickness ti on the i-th story
Rsi is given by Equation (4.11) where n represents the number of stories of the building.
nτRsi = n i∑τi =1

(4.11)

1i

where,

τi: mean shear stress of the bearing walls in the i-th story (seeEquation (4.24))

τ i is determined depending on the following three cases,i)the wall length ratio Li and wall thickness ti of the bearing walls in the i-th story are
equal to the prescribed wall length ratio L0i given in Table 1 of this article, and theprescribed wall thickness t0i given in Table 2 of Article 5, that is, τ i is equal to τ 0i
in Table 4.3 (see Commentaries "2. Wall Length Ratio" of this article), where τ i isgiven by the following equation:

τ i = τ 0i
23

C. Table 4.1

Story stiffness ratio Rsi of each story

Values in the top row correspond to the case of ti = t0i and Li = L0i.
Values in the middle row correspond to the case of ti = t0i and Li = L01.
Values in the bottom row correspond to the case of ti = t01 and Li = L01.
For t0i and L0i, see Commentary Table 4.3.
ni
5th story

4th story

3rd story

2nd story

1st story

5 storybuildings
1.516
1.618
1.816
1.089
1.163
1.082
0.816
0.872
0.816
0.839
0.716
0.684
0.740
0.632
0.602

4 storybuildings
−
1.431
1.491
1.653
1.014
1.057
0.982
0.761
0.793
0.742
0.792
0.659
0.622

3 storybuildings

2 storybuildings

Single story
buildings

−

−

−

−

−

−

1.342
1.342
1.468
0.945
0.945
0.871
0.713
0.713
0.661

−
1.262
1.262
1.262
0.738
0.738
0.738

−
−
1.000
1.000
1.000

ii) the wall length ratio Li of the bearing walls in each story is equal to the prescribed wall
length ratio L01 in the first story of the building given in Table 1 of this article and thewall thickness ti of the bearing walls in each story is equal to the prescribed wall
thickness t0i in the story under consideration of the building given in Table 2 of Article
5, that is, where τ i is given by the following equation:

τi =

L0i
τ 0i
L01

iii) the wall length ratio Li of the bearing walls in each story is equal to the prescribed wall
length ratio L01 in the first story of the building given in Table 1 of this article and thewall thickness ti of the bearing walls on each story is equal to the prescribed wall
thickness t01 in the first story of the building under consideration given in Table 2 ofArticle 5, that is, where τ i is given by the following equation:

τi =L0i t 0i
τ 0i
L01 t01

The values of Rsi obtained for these cases using Equation (4.11) and Equations (4.11'), (4.11'') and(4.11''') are given in Commentary Table 4.1.

24

n

τ

(4.11′)

Rsi = n 0i
1

∑τ
i =1

0i

n
L τ
Rsi = n 0i 0i
1∑i =1 L0 iτ 0 i(4.11″)nL t τ
Rsi = n 0i 0i 0i
1∑i =1 L0 i t 0 iτ 0 i(4.11′′′)The values of Rsi given in Commentary Table 4.1 are calculated on the assumption that the values of
Ri / τ i on each story are all equal in the direction x or y.
As seen in Commentary Table 4.1, ordinary RC box-shaped wall building is considered to satisfy
the condition of Equation (4.10)； i.e., Rsi ≥ 0.6.
2.

Wall Length Ratio

In the x- or y-direction on the i-th story, the total length of bearing walls ∑l (mm) specified in
Article 5, divided by the floor area Si (m2) in that story is called the wall length ratio Li (mm/m2).
Where, the floor area for calculating wall length ratio is defined as the floor area in that story
adding the half area of balcony and poach at upper story. The floor area Si in this Article represents
the earthquake load imposed on the bearing walls, and is called the "floor area for calculating wall
length ratio."(i+1)-th story

i-th story

C. Fig. 4.9

Example of calculation of length l of bearing wall
ABDC with openings
25

If two or more openings are unevenly distributed on the top or bottom on the same story and there isno portion having the same wall length defined in Clause 1, Article 5, the assemblage of such
rectangular portions of the bearing wall partitioned by the openings that conform to theprescriptions in Article 5 regarding to the structure of bearing walls is considered as one bearing
wall with openings. And the whole length of its horizontal cross section minus the sum of lengths of
openings of the horizontally projected cross section of the openings (the portions not conforming to
the structure of bearing walls prescribed in Article 5 are considered as openings) is considered as
the length l of that bearing wall with openings for calculation of Li (see Commentary Figure 4.9).
From the analysis and consideration of lateral loading tests on a full-scale specimen and areduced-scale plane specimen simulating a 5-story apartment house of RC box-shaped wall building,the mean shear stress τ u taken over all the bearing walls is given by Equation (4.12) when thestory shear force on the first story of a 5-story building reaches the horizontal load-carrying
capacity regardless of the type of concrete used.

τu≒≠ 1.7 f s (temporary loading)(4.12)

Where,
fs(temporary loading ) :allowable shear stress of concrete under temporary loading (seeCommentary Table 4.2)
C. Table 4.2 Allowable shear stress of concrete at temporary loading fs(temporary loading)Type of concrete

Design strength concrete Fc
21 N/mm2 or less

21 N/mm2 or more

Ordinary concrete

0.050 Fc

0.75 + 0.015 Fc

Lightweight concrete：Type 1
Lightweight concrete：Type 2

0.045 Fc

0.675 + 0.0135 Fc[Notes] Fc：denotes design strength concrete

It is also inferred that when remarkable shear crack occurs in bearing walls, the mean shear stressτ cr of all the bearing walls is given by Equation (4.13). Therefore, it can be assumed that thehorizontal force in each story at the occurrence of shear cracks is in proportion to the wall area ratio
Li ti of bearing walls.

τ cr = fs (temporary loading )(4.13)

From Equations (4.12) and (4.13), both the value of lateral load-carrying capacity of each story andthe story shear force when large shear crack occurs in the bearing walls are considered to be almostin proportion to the wall area ratio Li ti (mm2/m2) on the i-th story. Therefore, if the wall
thickness ti of the bearing walls on the i-th story is increased over the prescribed wall thickness t0i
26

given in Table 2 of Article 5, Li is reduced in accordance with the value of ti/t0i. However, with ti
extremely increased and with l of bearing walls extremely decreased, the design deviates from theconcept of RC box-shaped wall structure and its structural concept approaches to moment resisting
frame structures, and the relationships of Equations (4.12) and (4.13) is not well concluded.
Therefore, it is required that ∑l (mm) in the direction x or y divided by Si (m2) in each direction Li
should be equal to or greater than the prescribed wall length ratio L0i (mm/m2) given in Table 1 ofthis article minus 30 mm/m2. In case where the thickness of a bearing wall ti is increased over t0i,
the structure of wall girders attached to the bearing wall must be sufficiently rigid to resist against
the possible stress concentration.
For the values of prescribed wall length ratio L0i (mm/m2) given in Table 1 in the Standard,
apartment houses of RC box-shaped wall structure with an appropriate structural plan were
examined. It had been concluded that they did not cause discrepancy in design. For RC box-shaped
wall building whose wall area ratio Li ti(∑Aw/Si) (mm2/m2) of bearing walls was equal to or greaterthan the prescribed wall area ratio L0it0i (t0i: prescribed wall thickness, see Table 2 of Article 5),lateral loading tests were conducted on a full-scale three dimensional test specimen and planes ofstructure of a reduced-scale test specimen both simulating a 5-story apartment house, and theanalysis and examination were carried out on earthquake damage surveys. From these tests andanalyses, the conclusion was drawn that the maximum response story deformation angle in eachstory is less than 1/200 for a peak ground acceleration of 3 to 4 in m/sec2. and the structure isadequately proved against shear failure；that is, the building can endure the maximum earthquake
ground motion that is likely to occur during its service life.
In case where the floor areas are identical with one another in each story taken as a standard, theearthquake load acting on each story and the mean shear stress produced in the bearing walls are
considered as follows.
(a) Earthquake Load Acting on Each Story
According to Article 88 of Enforcement Order, the earthquake load Q0i per unit floor area of 1 m2
acting on each story is given by Equation (4.14)
Q0i = Ci m wi = ZRt Ai C0 m wi

(4.14)

Where,
Ci
Ci
Z

:
:
:

Rt

:

seismic shear force coefficient on the i-th story,
Z RtAiC0(4.15)
seismic zone factor (= 1 to 0.7) (see the Commentaries
on Article 1),(4.16)
numerical value calculated by the method determined by the Ministerof Land, Infrastructure and Transport from the design fundamental
period of vibration of the building, T, and the type of the ground27

representing the vibration characteristics of the subsoil condition(this value is called the vibration characteristic coefficient of thebuilding. See Notification No. 1793, the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure and Transport in 1980). Since the height of RC
box-shaped wall building designed according to this Standard isrestricted up to 16m by Article 3, T is given by Equation (4.17′)
using Equation (4.17) stipulated in the Notification.
T = 0.02H (s)(4.17)≤ 0.02 × 16 = 0.32 (s)(4.17′)The Notification stipulates that if the value of T calculated by Equation (4.17) is noless than the value of Tc (0.4, 0.6, or 0.8 (s)) determined according to the type of theground, the value of Rt should not be reduced below the value given by Equation(4.20). Since the value of T is smaller than any value of Tc, Rt is given by Equation(4.20).
(4.18)
Rt = 1 〜 0.75*
Note:

*

under the provision of the Notification, if it is confirmed based on
the results of special research or investigation that the value of Rt
can be smaller than 1, the value of Rt may be reduced to the value
based on the results of special research or investigation (to 0.75 if
the value becomes less than 0.75),

Ai :coefficient representing the distribution of seismic shear force
coefficient along the height of building (see the Commentaries on
Article 1 and Commentary Figure 4.10),
Ai = 1 + ( 1 - α ) 2T ,(4.19)i
1 + 3TαiT :the design fundamental period of vibration of the building (in s)(see Equation (4.17)),αi : coefficient determined from weight W supported by the story forwhich Ai of the building is to be calculated divided by the total
weight supported by the first story of the building (see theCommentaries on Article 1 for W),
αi = mwi S i ,(4.20)
nw1 S1
floor area (m2) in the i-th story and first story,
number of floor slabs supported by the i-th story and first story(excluding the roof slabs of penthouses that are not included in thenumber of stories (see the Commentary on Article 3)),: values in N/m2 derived from dividing Wi of the i-th and W1 in thefirst story by mSi and nS1 respectively (for W, see the Commentaries
on Article 1),: standard shear force coefficient,(4.21)≥ 0.2,Si and S1 :m and n :wi and w1

C0
C0

28

for calculation of the required horizontal load-carrying capacity ofeach story against seismic forces, Equation (4.21') shall be used inplace of Equation (4.21),.
(4.21')≥ 1.0.

C0

Commentary Figure 4.10 shows a nomogram of Ai given by Equation (4.19). Substituting T
given by Equation (4.17) into Equation (4.19) , Ai is given by Equation (4.19') which is a functionof αi and eaves height H (m).

Open circles denote the values of Ai
obtained on the assumption of
αi =

m

=

n − i +1

in an ascendingnnorder of i = 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 forconstruction of any number of stories.
T: Design natural period offundamental vibration of a building
T = 0.02 H (seconds)
H: Eaves height (m)Where,Ai:
αi:

coefficient representing the distribution of earthquake story shear
coefficient in height along a building ,sum of the dead and live loads supported by the portion for which
Ai of the building is calculated divided by the sum of the dead andlive loads supported by the portion of the first story of the building.

C．Fig. 4.10 The nomogram to determine Ai from αi and H or T (=0.02H) for the i-th story of an-story building

Ai = 1 + (1αi- αi )

0.04 H1 + 0.06 H(4.19′)

Under the provisions of Article 3, there are the following limitations:
Height to building eaves H ≤ 16 m
29

Story height of each story except the top story ≤ 3 m
Story height of the top story ≤ 3.3 m
Therefore, the eaves height H of an n-story building lies in the following equation :H ≤ 3 n ± 1 (m)About the nomogram of Ai in Commentary Figure 4.10, the curves represent in the cases where H(m) is assumed to be 3n-1, 3n, and 3n+1. The value of Ai increases with increase of design natural
period T, namely, height H. The nomogram, however, indicates that the influence of T and H on Ai
is less significant for any number of n.
In a vibration test on a full scale specimen simulating the 5-story apartment house (H = 14.04 m) of
RC box-shaped wall structure with the fixed foundation, the measured period T of elastic vibration
was 0.15 sec. in the longitudinal direction prior to the occurrence of shear cracks, and the calculated
period was 0.28 sec. by Equation (4.17) stipulated in Notification No. 1793. It is theoreticallypointed out and experimentally examined, however, that T becomes large when the building moves
in rocking or sway modes on the ground. If the foundation is firmly fixed, elastic responses that are
3 or 4 times as large as the maximum acceleration of ground motion will be generated, which willproduce shear cracks in the bearing walls. According to the earthquake damage survey on the1978 Miyagi-ken Oki Earthquake during which the maximum acceleration of ground motion isconsidered to reach 2m/sec2 or greater (see the Commentaries on Article 2), no remarkable shear
cracks were observed. This fact indicates that RC box-shaped wall buildings on the ground movein rocking and sway modes making T longer and resulting Rt smaller than the evaluated value ofunity.
(b) Mean Shear Stress of Bearing Walls
When Q0i (N/m2) given by Equation (4.14) is divided by the wall area ratio Li y ti (mm2/m2) in thei-th story, the mean shear stress τ i of the bearing walls is obtained in the x- or y-direction on the i-thstory.

τi =Q0i ZRt Ai C0 mwi=
Li t i
Li t i(4.22)

This Standard assumes that the value of wi satisfies the condition of Equation (4.23) in each story.
wi ≦12,000 N/m2

(4.23)

In calculation of τ i by the use of Equation (4.22), the following assumptions are made:i)

wi are equal on all stories and are given by Equation (4.23').
30

(4.23′)

wi ＝12,000 N/m2ii) The floor areas for calculation of the wall length ratio are identical on all stories (theelevation has no setback).
Si = S1(4.24)

Using the relationships of Equations (4.23') and (4.24), Equations (4.20) are expressed as follows:

αi =

m
n

(4.20′)

Substituting αi given by Equation (4.20') into Equation (4.19') , Equation (4.20'') is yielded.
Ai = 1 + (1
m 0.04 H- )m/n n 1 + 0.06 H(4.19′′)The monogram of Ai in Commentary Figure 4.10 allows Ai to be determined using the open circles
in the case where αi is assumed as Equation (4.20'), where Ai are given by Equation (4.19'').
If the upper stories have setback or the weight of the upper story is less than the weight of lower
stories, the condition of Equation (4.23') is not fully satisfied, and the following relation holds :wi <12,000 N/m2 ∴ wi <ｗ1
In case where the story under consideration has a setback, the condition of Equation (4.24)
regarding Si is not satisfied, and:Si < S1
For both cases of Si > S and Si < S1 the value of αi exactly calculated from Equation (4.20) becomes
smaller than that of αi approximately estimated by Equation (4.20'), and satisfies the following
condition:

αi <

m
n

As indicated by Commentary Figure 4.10, Ai increases with decrease of αi. The increment of Q0i
caused by that variation and given by Equation (4.14) is smaller than the decrement of Q0i, because
wi is smaller than the assumed value of 12,000 N/m2. It leads to the tendency that if wi isdecreased by the setback of the upper stories, τ i will not be increased. If τ i are required to be
exactly calculated using Equation (4.22), based on the value of αi exactly calculated, Ai given by
Commentary Figure 4.10 or Equation (4.19') should be used.

31

Substituting the following values into Equation (4.22), Equation (4.22’)is obtained,
Z = 1 in Equation(4.16)

ii) Rt = 1 in Equation(4.18)

iii) C0 = 0.2 in Equation(4.21)iv) wi = 12,000 N/m2 in Equation(4.23')i)

τi ＝24 Ai m(N/mm2)LiTi(4.22’)

Considering that Ai becomes larger for longer T for greater H (see Commentary Figure 4.10), thefollowing heightH = 3 n + 1 (m)is substituted into Equation (4.19''). Then, a formula giving the maximum of Ai is obtained as
Equation (4.19''').
Ai = 1 + (1
m 0.12n + 0.04
- )m/n n 1.06 + 0.18n(4.19′′′)

Substituting the followings into Equation (4.22'),v) the values of Ai given by Equation (4.19'''),vi) the prescribed wall thickness t0i of bearing walls in the i-th story given in Table 2 ofArticle 5,vii) the prescribed wall length ratio L0i (mm/cm2) of bearing walls in the i-th story given in
Table 1 of this article , andviii) m = n - i + 1 as the value of m in the i-th story of n-story building,the upper limit τ 0i (N/mm2) of mean shear stress of bearing walls is yielded in the x- or y-directionin each story. Values of the upper limit τ 0i are given in Commentary Table 4.3.
As assumed in Equation (4.23), provided that the value of wi is 12,000 N/m2 or less on each story,
the values of τ 0i given in Commentary Table 4.3 can be considered to be the values of τ i . The τ iagrees with those obtained with the assumption of C0 equal to 0.2 or more.
As often seen in the transverse direction, if either the values of Li are remarkably larger than thevalue of L0i, or ti are considerably larger than t0i, the values of τ i are remarkably smaller than τ 0i .
Therefore, exact calculation using Equation (4.25) makes an economical design possible.
32

τi =

L0i t 0i
τ 0i
Li t i(4.25)

Also in case when the upper stories have setback, the values of wi are remarkably smaller than
12,000 N/m2, and the values of τ i are considerably smaller than the values of τ 0i . Therefore,
with use of exact calculation of τ i employing Equation (4.22), an economical design can be
performed. As described previously, if the upper stories have setback, the values of Ai areconsiderably larger than the approximate estimation given by Equation (4.19''). Therefore, thevalue of Ai derived from substituting the exact value αi obtained using Equation (4.20) into
Equation (4.19') should be used for the value of Ai to be substituted into Equation (4.22).
C. Table 4.3 Upper limit of mean shear stress τ 0 i (N/mm2) of bearing walls (ti = t0i, Li = L0i) in the xor y-direction in each story calculated on the assumption of Z = 1, Rt = 1 and C0 = 0.2( wi = 12,000 N/m2).
Values in parenthesis denote the prescribed wall thickness t0i (mm) times the prescribedwall length ratio L0i (mm/m2).
ni
5th story
4th story
3rd story
2nd story
1st story
Basement*

5-storybuildings

4-storybuildings

3-storybuildings

2-storybuildings

Single-story
buildings

0.22(150 × 120)

−

−

−

−

0.31
(180 × 120)0.41(180 × 120)0.39(180 × 150)
0.44(180 × 150)0.40*
(180* × 200)

0.20(150 × 120)0.28
(180 × 120)0.37(180 × 120)0.36(180 × 150)0.33*
(180* × 200)

−

−

−

0.18
(150 × 120)0.25
(180 × 120)
0.33(180 × 120)0.27*
(180* × 200)

−

−

0.16
(150 × 120)0.27(150 × 120)0.20*
(180* × 200)−
0.16(120 × 120)0.13*
(180* × 200)

The value of τ 0 i at the basement is calculated assuming the horizontal seismic coefficient k = 0.2.
Bearing wall thickness t0i of the basement is assumed to be 180 mm which is the minimum wall
thickness.

Note: The values of τ 0 i given in C. Table 4.3 apply to the case where normal concrete is used.
According to Clause 2, Article 7 of the RC Standard, if lightweight concrete is used, the weight ofreinforced concrete is reduced by 4 to 4.5 and 7 to 7.5 kN/m3 for lightweight concrete Types 1 and
2 respectively. If lightweight concrete Type 1 or 2 is used, the value of τ 0 i can be roughly
estimated by multiplying the values in Table 4.3 by the correction factor 0.9 or 0.8, respectively.

Substituting Ac = 0 (Ac: horizontal cross sectional area of columns) into Equation (1.1), one canobtain the relation described in the Commentaries on Article 1:∑ 2.5Aw(1.1′)≧ ZWAiDividing both sides of the above equation by ∑ Aw , and using the relations of∑ Aw = Li t i S i , W = mwi S i33

Equation (4.26) is obtained.

2.5N/mm2 ≧ZWAi ZAi m wi
=
Li ti
∑ Aw

(4.26)

Considering the τ 0i value given in Commentary Table 4.3 is derived by substituting the following
relations;
Z=1, Rt ＝1,Ｃ0＝0.2, wi =12,000 N/m2, Li＝Loi, ti = t0i
into Equation (4.22), Equation (4.26) can be rewritten into Equation (4.26')
2.5N/mm2≥

5ZL0i t 0i τ 0i
Li t i(4.26′)

Considering the following, Equation (4.26'') is derived ：ⅰ) According to Commentary Table 4.3, the following relationship is obtained for any

story above the ground:
2.5 N/mm2 ≧5 τ 0iii) Z = 1.0 to 0.7 (see the Commentaries on Article 1)iii) Li・ti ≥ L0 i ・t0i (see Articles 4 and 5)iv) 12,000 N/m2 ≥ W (N/m2)
2.5N/mm2 ≧5 τ 0i ≥5ZL0i t 0i τ 0i ZWAi≥
Li t i∑ Aw(4.26″)

According to the provisions of this Standard, RC box-shaped wall buildings designed to be Liti ≥L0it0i satisfy the condition of Equation (1.1)；the condition stipulated in Notification No. 1790, theMinistry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport in 1980. Under the provision of Clause 1, Article 81
of Enforcement Order, buildings of such construction are regarded as buildings other than specified
buildings which are exempted from the secondary seismic design of the confirmation of seismic
performance on the basis of ultimate design listed in the following.
i)

Confirmation of the story deformation angle according to Article 82-2 of the
Enforcement Order.

ii) Confirmation of story stiffness ratio and eccentric ratio according to Article 82-3 of the
Enforcement Order.
34iii) Confirmation of horizontal load-carrying capacity according to Article 82-4 of the
Enforcement Order.
For a bearing wall fixed at the bottom, the relationship between the shear force Q and story
deformation angle R can be found using a simple elastic theory (see Commentary Figure 4.11).
Q=

A E
tlE
R= w Rff(4.27)

where,hf = 2{k (1 + ν ) + (3 y - 1)( ) 2 } ,ltl: wall thickness,: wall length,

h
y
k
v
E

:
:
:
:
:

wall height,
inflection point height ratio,
shape factor for shear rigidity,
Poisson's ratio of concrete,
Young's modulus of concrete,

τ= Q= Q ,tl Aw

k = 1.2
v = 1/6
E = 2.1 × 104 N/mm2(4.28)

C. Fig. 4.11

Deformation and stress of bearing wall

Defining the shear stress τ of the bearing wall by Equation (4.28) and substituting Q given by
Equation (4.27) into the equation, one can obtain Equation (4.29).

τ =

E
R.
f

(4.29)

Equation (4.29) indicates that τ of bearing walls of the same story deformation angle R becomeslarger for a larger aspect ratio l/h (for a longer length l if the height h is constant) and for a smaller
inflection point height ratio y (for a lower height of the point of inflection). Assuming that the wall
girders attached to the bearing walls have equal rigidity, the larger l/h results in the larger y , andtheir variation on the shear stress are in the tendency to cancel each other .
For the building designed with well-balanced bearing wall arrangement, one can assume that the35

in-plane deformation and rigid rotation of the floor slabs can be neglected and the bearing walls
have the same story deformation angle R, and the mean shear stress τ i of bearing wall on the i-thstory is given by Equation (4.30). Note that ∑ denotes a summation taken in the direction x or y.

τi =

A
∑Q
RE
=
∑ w
∑ tl ∑ Aw
f(4.30)The maximum value of τ of each bearing wall is given by Equation (4.29') in accordance with
Equation (4.27).

τ max =

Ef min

(4.29′)

R

The factor φ of stress concentration for τ is given by Equation (4.31).

φ=

τ max
∑ Aw
=
τi
f min ∑( Aw / f )(4.31)

Considering that the aspect ratio l/h of bearing walls counted in the wall length ratio is stipulated tobe 0.3 or greater (see Clause 1, Article 5), the factor φ given by Equation (4.31) can be taken
roughly as :φ = 1.5(4.31′)

The adequacy of the value was generally examined by lateral loading experiments on the scaled
plane specimens. The value τmax is given by Equation (4.32).

τ max = φτ i = 1.5τ i(4.32)

Since the Clause 1, Article 2 stipulates the design standard strength Fc of concrete, the allowable
shear stress at 18 N/mm2 or greater, at temporary loading, fs (temporary loading), in concrete stipulated in
Article 6 of AIJ RC Calculation Standard satisfies the conditions of Equations (4.33-a and b) (seeCommentary Table 4.2).
Normal concrete:fs (temporary loading) ≥ 0.05 × 18 = 0.9 N/mm 2(4.33-a)Lightweight concrete Types 1 and 2:
fs( temporary loading ) ≥ 0.9 ×0.05×18 = 0.81 N/mm 2(4.33-b)

Substitution of the value of τ 0i given in Commentary Table 4.3 into τ i in Equation (4.32) andcomparison of the result with Equations (4.33-a and –b) shows that the maximum value, τmax, of τof the bearing wall derived from employing the lower limit of 0.2 of standard shear force coefficient
C0 stipulated in Article 88-2 of Enforcement Order satisfies the condition of Equation (4.34) in each36

story and conforms the provisions related to the primary design in Article 82-3 (Stresses, etc.) of the
Enforcement Order.

τmax ≤ fs(temporary loading )(4.34)

Since an RC boxed-shaped wall structure is made of thin plates and has no moment resisting framesaround the thin plates that can restrain the development of shear cracks occurring in a wall plate,various kinds of damage may be produced if the shear cracks develop. If significant shear cracks
occur in a bearing wall supporting vertical loads, it will be difficult to repair the damaged walls.
Taking these facts into consideration, this Standard takes the design principle of keeping down the
stresses in the bearing walls below the elastic limit without generating cracks in the bearing walls
and wall girders when subjected to seismic load that are likely to occur several times during its
service life (a maximum acceleration of ground motion of 0.8 to 1m/s2). However, the following
facts should be considered：i)

In a building having a short natural period, a response acceleration 3 or 4 times as large
as the ground surface acceleration is produced if the building behaves as an elastic
structure fixed at the foundation. Then, for the maximum acceleration of groundmotion of 0.8 to 1m/s2, the value of τ i becomes considerably large compared to thevalue of τ 0i given in Commentary Table 4.3 even if it is considered that the vibration
characteristic coefficient factor Rt of the building becomes smaller than the lower limitof 0.75 specified in the Notification (see the footnote to Equation (3.21)).

ii) From the results of lateral loading tests in the longitudinal direction on the full-scale
three dimensional specimen simulating a 5-story apartment house of RC box-shaped
wall structure, it is inferred that cracks occur in a bearing wall of large l/h when
τ i reaches fs (temporary loading ) as indicated by Equation (4.13).
iii) On the occasion of the 1978 Miyagi-ken Oki Earthquake during which the maximum
acceleration of ground motion is considered to be larger than 2 m/s2, only minor shear
cracks or joint slides at the concrete were observed within 11 apartment houses out of
131 apartment houses of RC box-shaped wall structure in the stricken area；i.e. in
Sendai City.
With these facts taken into consideration, the value of L0i given in Table 1 of Article 4 has no extra
margin from the point of view of preventing shear cracks against the seismic load with standard
shear force coefficient C0 = 0.2. Considering this point, this Standard specifies a requirement that
τmax calculated for a value of C0 larger than 0.2 should satisfy the provisions of the BuildingStandard Law related to the primary design；i.e., allowable stress design given by Equation (4.34).

37

Article 5 Structural Details of Bearing Walls
1. The length of the bearing walls should be 450 mm or more, and be 30% or more of the height of its
portion having the same wall length.
2. The bearing walls should have a thickness equal to or greater than the values t0 defined as the minimum
thickness in Table 2.

Abovegroundstories

Table 2 Minimum thickness of bearing walls
Story

Minimum thickness
t0 (mm) of bearing walls

Single-story building

12 and h/25

Each story of 2-story
building and the top
story of 3-, 4- or 5-story
building

15 and h/22

Other stories

18 and h/22

Basement

18* and h/18

Remarks
h: vertical distance
between upper RC slab
and lower RC slab(mm)

* For the portion which is not finished on one side or both sides and not in contact with soil,
the covering concrete over reinforcement should be increased by 10 mm to a total wall
thickness of 190 or 200 mm.
For the portion in contact with soil on one side or both sides, the covering shall be increasedby 10 mm to a total thickness of 190 or 200 mm, in case where normal weight concrete isused, and by 20 mm to a total wall thickness of 200 or 220 mm, in case where light weight
concrete Type 1 or 2 is used.
3. In the bearing wall, shear reinforcement should be provided in both horizontal and vertical directions.
The ratio of total cross sectional area of horizontal reinforcement to vertical cross sectional area ofconcrete and that of vertical reinforcement to horizontal cross sectional area (hereafter the shear
reinforcement ratio (Ps)) should be equal to or higher than the vales (Ps0) given in Table 3.
Table 3 Shear reinforcement ratio in bearing walls
Shear reinforcement
ratio , Ps0 (%)

Story

AbovegroundstoriesSingle-story buildings and the top story of
2-story buildings

0.15First story of 2-story buildings and the top
story and the second story from the top
story of 3-, 4- or 5-story buildings

0.20

Other stories

0.25

Basement

0.25

4. In case where the wall length ratio is larger than the values given in Table 1, the shear reinforcement
ratio may be reduced to the value calculated by the following formula within the range not less than
0.15%.
(Shear reinforcement
ratio)=(Shear reinforcement
ratio given in Table 3)×38(Wall length ratio (mm/m2) given in Table 1)(Design wall length ratio (mm/m2))

5. Deformed reinforcing bars with nominal diameter of 10mm (hereafter abreviated D10) or those withgreater diameter should be arranged horizontally and vertically, respectively.
And the spacings of reinforcement bars should be 300 mm or less respectively in the projected area of
bearing walls.
In case where a double reinforcing bar arrangement is used, the spacings of horizontal and verticalreinforcement on either side should not exceed 450 mm respectively.
6. In the structurally important portions of bearing walls such as the wall ends, intersections, and thevertical edges of openings, flexural reinforcement whose quantity is equal to or more than those shownin Table 4 should be provided.
1-D13 may be used, in case where bearing wall whose thickness is less than 180 mm and having an
orthogonal bearing walls. In the top story, the height of an opening edge shall be 2.8 m or less.

Table 4 Flexural reinforcement at the edge, etc. of bearing walls
Flexural reinforcement atedge, etc. of bearing walls

Story

h0 ≤ 1 m

h0 > 1 m

Single-story buildings

1 − D13

1 − D13Each story of 2-story buildings and the top story of 3-, 4or 5-story buildings

1 − D13

2 − D13

Second story from the top story of 3-, 4- or 5-story
buildings

2 − D13

2 − D13

Basement of single-story or 2-story buildings
First story and basement of 3-story buildings
Second and first stories and basement of 4-story buildings
Third and second stories of 5-story buildings

2 − D13

2 − D16First story and basement of 5-story buildings

2 − D16

2 − D19[Remarks]

h0 (m) : height of opening edge along flexural reinforcement (in case where the wall
portion above or under the opening is not of structure equivalent to or stronger than the
bearing wall, the height of such a portion should be added.)

7. The reinforcement used to the horizontal edges of an opening should be D13 or more in size and should
be being designed in accordance with Article 6.
8. For bearing walls of 180mm thick or more, reinforcement should be provided in double reinforcing bar
arrangement.
9. At the intersection of a bearing wall with the floor, reinforcement of D13 or more should be provided.
At the corners of an opening, diagonal reinforcement having a cross sectional area equal to or morethan a half of the reinforcement shown in Table 4 and having a diameter not less than D10 should beplaced.
Diagonal reinforcement bars may not be placed, in case where a surpluss cross sectional area of 0.35
times as much as the value given in Table 4 or more is added to required horizontal and verticalreinforcement.
10. The intersection of a bearing wall with a perpendicularly crossing wall girder or beam, should beconstructed to transfer the loads from above to the bearing wall concerned or to other parts safely.

39

1.

Bearing Wall Length

Because bearing walls are very important shear resistant members of RC box-shaped wall structures,
bearing walls require sufficient strength and rigidity.
Therefore, the minimum length is specified. The length of the bearing walls should be 450 mm or
more, and be 30% or more of h: the height of its portion having the same wall length (SeeCommentary Figure 5.1).

C. Fig. 5.1 Geometrical definition of bearing wall, l ≥ 0.3 h

2.

Thickness of Bearing Walls

The minimum wall thickness t0 given in Table 2 of this article is stipulated so as to allow a double
reinforcing bar arrangement to be provided for all the bearing walls in the second story from the top
story and lower(excluding the first story of 2-story buildings) (see Clause 8 of this article). In
addition, the wall thickness is required to satisfy the specified proportion in terms of the ratio to hwhich is the vertical distance between primary horizontal supports (mostly RC floor slabs) for
safety against out-of-plane buckling. In case where a bearing wall is horizontally supported at the
top and bottom by rigid roof or floor slabs, the distance between the centers of the slabs may betaken as h. In the case of the first story, when the floor is made of wood without concrete slabs, andrigid foundation beams or tie beams orthogonal to the wall concerned, are provided, the distance
between the center of these and the center of floor slabs may be taken as h. If the floor of the firststory is of timber and if there is a rigid foundation beam or a tie beam orthogonal to the wall, thedistance from its center to the center of the floor on the upper story is deemed as the verticaldistance h. In case where there is no such effective beam, the distance from the bottom of thefoundation to the center of the floor on the upper story is deemed as the vertical distance h. To
provide sufficient rigidity, it is preferable to provide RC floor slabs of the first story. The floor slabsof the first story may be placed directly on the compacted ground with gravel top layer.
In the case of the walls having narrow width and not conforming to the requirements of bearing
walls in this clause, axial forces and out-of-plane flexural moment acting to the wall concerned
should be increased by the coefficient given in Commentary Table 5.1. (Referred to Commentary
for column design in AIJ RC Calculation Standard)40

C. Table 5.1 Overdesign factors for axial forces and bending moments out of plane to the bearing wall 1)
Wall thickness
1/10

1/15

1/20

1/25

Normal weight concrete

1.00

1.00

1.25

1.75

Light weight concrete

1.00

1.20

1.50

−

Vertical distance between primary supporting
pointsOverdesign
factor

The ACI Standards2) of the U.S. stipulates wall thickness at 4" (102 mm) or more. The wall
thickness is also required to be 1/25 or more of the shorter distance among the vertical or thehorizontal distance between structural primary supporting points.
According to the BSCP Standards3) of U.K., walls with a vertical reinforcement ratio of 1.0 % orless are treated as non-reinforced concrete walls in terms of performance of fire walls, and a wall
thickness of 150 mm is required for 1-hour fire resistance and 175 mm for 1.5-hour fire resistance.
Bearing walls with a thickness conforming to Table 2 of this article are considered to have fairly
good performance as a firewall.
3. Shear Reinforcement Ratio of Bearing Walls
The design principle of bearing walls does not allow shear cracking, in the case of a seismic forcesof standard shear coefficient C0=0.2, which is likely to be encountered several times during theservice life of the buildings. To deal with shrinkage cracking in concrete or other unexpected event,
however, the shear reinforcement ratio Ps (given in Table 3 of this article) has been determined,
neglecting the tensile force in concrete, to carry the story shear force calculated against standard
shear coefficient C0=0.2. According to the reports on horizontal loading test conducted to afull-scale three-dimensional specimen and a reduced model planar specimen, the bearing walls in
the first story showed horizontal load carrying capacity of 4.3 times as much as that calculated by
employing C0=0.2. In actual structures, concrete of bearing walls and orthogonal walls are
considered to carry significant amount of shear forces. Defining sτa as the shear stress of concrete
per unit horizontal cross sectional area under shear force which can be borne by the wall
reinforcement only with its allowable tensile stress for temporary loading, the relationship of sτawith ps is given by Equation (5.1) neglecting the vertical stresses of the bearing wall.
sτa = ps ft (temporary)(5.1)

where,ft (temporary) : allowable tensile stress under temporary loading of wall reinforcement.

2)

ACI Standard Building Code Requirements for Reinforced Concrete, ACI 318-83, 1983

3)

British Standard Code of Practice for the Structural Use of Concrete, CP 110: Part I, 1972

41

Assuming the use of SD295A (ft = 295 N/mm2) as wall reinforcement, allowable shear stresses for
temporary loading, sτa0, in each story are obtained by Equation (5.1) for the ps values given in Table
3, as shown in Commentary Table 5.2.
The stress concentration due to the difference in aspect ratio of bearing walls is relaxed by the stressredistribution after the occurrence of shear cracking. Considering this fact, the mean shear stressτ 0i given in Commentary Table 4.3 for bearing walls in the calculation direction in each story iscompared to sτa0 of bearing walls in each story given in Commentary Table 5.2.
On the premise of an appropriate bearing wall arrangement of a little eccentricity, it is formed that
ps0 of bearing walls in each story is stipulated for C0 = 0.2 so that the tensile stress of wall
reinforcement will not exceed ft(temporary) even if shear cracking occurs.
C. Table 5.2 Shear stress, which can be transferred by wall reinforcement to its allowable tensile stressfor temporary loading per unit horizontal cross sectional area of concrete when the shear
reinforcement ratio ps of a bearing wall agrees with the prescribed value ps0 on the story
under consideration[x10-1 N/mm2]ni
5th story
4th story
3rd story
2nd story
1st story
Basement

5-storybuilding

4-storybuilding

3-storybuilding

2-storybuilding

Single-story
building

6.0
6.0
7.5
7.5
7.5
7.5

−
6.0
6.0
7.5
7.5
7.5

−
−
6.0
6.0
7.5
7.5

−
−
−
4.5
6.0
7.5

−
−
−
−
4.5
7.5

A formula to find reinforcement spacing x (mm) from shear reinforcement ratio pS is given by
Equations (5.2-a and -b).
For single reinforcing bar arrangement:

x=

as
ps t

(5.2-a)For double reinforcing bar arrangement :

x=

2a s
ps t

(5.2-b)where,
as : cross sectional area (mm2) of shear reinforcing bar, andt: wall thickness (mm).

In case where D10 (as = 71 mm2) is used for shear reinforcement, the relationships between pS and42

required spacing for shear reinforcement x and wall thickness t are shown in Commentary Table 5.3.
In the calculation of PS of a bearing wall, it is not permitted to take into account the cross sectional
area of the necessary flexural reinforcement given in Table 4 of this article. Therefore, in thearrangement of shear reinforcement in the vertical direction of a bearing wall (called the verticalreinforcement hereafter), the spacing of reinforcing bars should be less than x0 which is obtained bysubstituting Ps= Ps 0 into Equation(5.2-a or 5.2-b). At the vertical edge of bearing walls, the firstshear reinforcement should be located at a distance x/2 from the edge (see Commentary Figure
5.2(a)). In this case, flexural reinforcement is located closer to the edge. Otherwise, the first shear
reinforcing bar may be arranged together with flexural reinforcing bar (see Commentary Figure
5.2(b)). In this case, two bars may be replaced by a bar which has the same cross sectional area ofthe sum of these bars or more.
C. Table 5.3 Required spacing for shear reinforcement (for use of D10) (or the necessary spacing ofshear reinforcement on one side, in the case of double reinforcement)

Arrangement ofreinforcements

Wall thickness
(cm)

0.15

0.16

0.17

0.18

0.19

0.20

0.21

0.22

0.23

0.24

0.25

Single re-bar
arrangement

12
13
14
15
16
17

39.4*
36.4*
33.8*
31.5*
29.5
27.8

36.9*
34.1*
31.6*
29.5
27.7
26.1

34.8*
32.1*
29.8
27.8
26.1
24.5

32.8*
30.3*
28.1
26.2
24.6
23.2

31.1*
28.7
26.6
24.9
23.3
21.9

29.5
27.3
25.3
23.6
22.1
20.8

28.1
26.0
24.1
22.5
21.1
19.9

26.8
24.8
23.0
21.5
20.1
18.9

25.7
23.7
22.0
20.5
19.2
18.1

24.6
22.7
21.1
19.7
18.4
17.4

23.6
21.8
20.2
18.9
17.7
16.7

* Spacings exceeding 30
cm are not permitted.

Double re-bar
arrangement(unit: cm)

18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25

52.9*
50.1*
47.6*
45.3*
43.3
41.4
39.7
38.1

49.6*
47.0*
44.6
42.5
40.6
38.8
37.2
35.7

46.7*
44.2
42.0
40.0
38.2
36.5
35.0
33.6

44.1
41.8
39.7
37.8
36.1
34.5
33.1
31.7

41.8
39.6
37.6
35.8
34.2
32.7
31.3
30.1

39.7
37.6
35.7
34.0
32.5
31.0
29.7
28.6

37.8
35.8
34.0
32.4
30.9
29.6
28.3
27.2

36.1
34.2
32.5
30.9
29.5
28.2
27.0
26.0

34.5
32.7
31.0
29.6
28.2
27.0
25.9
24.8

33.1
31.3
29.7
28.3
27.0
25.9
24.8
23.8

31.7
30.1
28.6
27.2
26.0
24.8
23.8
22.8

* Projected spacings
exceeding 30 cm andspacings ofreinforcement on one
side exceeding 45 cm
are not both permitted.

Shear reinforcement ratio Ps (%)
Remarks[Note] (1) In case where D10 and D13 are arranged alternately, the spacing is about 1.5 times the value in the above table.
(2) In case where D13 is arranged, the spacing is about twice the value in the above table.

One reinforcing bar of thesame combined crosssectional area may be used.
{Shear reinforcementzFlexural reinforcement

C. Fig. 5.2 Arrangement of shear reinforcement in bearing wall and wall girder (example of a single bar
arrangement)

4. Reduction in Shear Reinforcement Ratio in Case Where the Wall Length Ratio Exceeds the
Prescribed Wall Length Ratio
43In case where the wall length ratio Li in the i-th story exceeds the wall length ratio L0i given in Table
1 of Article 4, the mean shear stress τ i of the bearing walls is smaller than the mean shear stressτ 0i given in Commentary Table 4.3, and is given by Equation (5.3).

τi =

L0i
τ 0i
Li

(5.3)

The shear reinforcement ratio Ps 0 is reduced in proportion to Loi/Li. The minimum shear
reinforcing ratio is required to be 0.15 %, to give sufficient ductility to the structure when an
unexpected event occurs. The minimum shear reinforcement ratio of ACI Standards requires 0.25 %for horizontal reinforcement, and 0.15 % for vertical reinforcement.
5. Diameter and Spacing of Shear Reinforcement in Bearing Walls
It is stipulated that the shear reinforcement should have a diameter of D10 or more (#3 bar in the
ACI Standards) and spacing of 300 mm or less over the projected area of a bearing wall from thepoint of view of the impact mitigation at the occurrence of cracking and the constraint ofdevelopments of both structural and shrinkage cracking. Even in a double arrangement, staggered
reinforcement, it is stipulated that the spacing of shear reinforcement on one side should not exceed
450 mm (18" = 458 mm in ACI Standard) (see Commentary Figure 5.3).

Single re-bar
arrangement

Double re-bar
arrangement

Double re-bar staggered
arrangement evenly

Double re-bar staggered
arrangement unevenly(Unit: cm)

C. Fig. 5.3 Maximum spacing of (vertical and horizontal) shear reinforcement

6. Flexural Reinforcement in Bearing Walls
Since bearing walls generally contain a smaller amount of reinforcement than the balanced steel
ratio, their flexural resistance is influenced by all the vertical reinforcement on the tension side.
Because the prescribed shear reinforcement ratio of bearing walls is as low as from 0.15 to 0.25%, it
may be assumed that only the edge reinforcements at the ends and corners of, and the peripheries of
openings in, the bearing wall contribute to flexural strength. On that assumption, an approximate
formula can be obtained as the allowable moment of the bearing wall for temporary loading of the
bearing wall.
Ultimate flexural strength of columns is approximated as Equation (5.4), when N<0.4bDFc.
Considering the condition given by Equation (5.5), Equation (5.4) may be simplified as Equation
44

(5.5').
For N ≤ 0.4bDFc:
M u = 0.8 atσ y D + 0.5 ND (1 -

N
)
bDFc

(5.4)

N
) ≥ 0.3 ND
bDFc

(5.5)

M u ≥ 0.8 atσ y D + 0.3 ND(5.5′)

0.5 ND (1 -where,
at : cross sectional area of flexural reinforcement in one wall edge,
σy : nominal yield strength of flexural reinforcement in one wall edge,
D : overall depth of cross section in bearing wall, andN : axial force in bearing wall (compression taken as positive).
By substituting the following relationships into Equation (5.5'):σy = ft (temporary) , D = lwhere,ft (temporary) : allowable tensile stress under temporary loading of flexural (edge)
reinforcement in bearing wall,l : length of bearing wall.
An approximate formula for finding the allowable temporary flexural moment Ma of a bearing wall
is obtained, as Equation (5.6).
Ma ≥ (0.8 at ft (temporary) + 0.3 N) l
where,(5.6)

at : cross sectional area of flexural (edge) reinforcement on the tensionside, andN : vertical force acting on bearing wall (compression taken as
positive).
Substituting the maximum flexural moment M occurring at the base of the bearing wall given by
Equation (5.7) into Ma in Equation (5.6), yields the allowable inflection point height, yah, forbearing walls under temporary loads as Equation (5.8) can be determined which is a function of τand N.
M=yhltτwhere ,

(5.7)
h: height of bearing wall,45

y : ratio of inflection point height of bearing wall to h
(inflection point height ratio), andτ : shear stress of bearing wall.
ya h ≥

0.8 at f t (temporary) + 0.3N

(5.8)

tτ

where,
ya : allowable inflection point height ration.
By substituting τ and t in Equation (5.8) into mean shear stress τ 0i of bearing walls in thecalculation direction on each story given in Commentary Table 4.3 and the prescribed wall
thickness t0i in Table 2 of this article, one can find the allowable inflection point height ya0h forbearing walls in each story of a single-story or 2- to 5-story building in which the flexural
reinforcement (material: SD295A, ft (temporary) = 295 N/mm2 is assumed) given in Table 4 of thisarticle is used in bearing walls on each story, as Equation (5.8').
ya 0 h =0.8 at f t (temporary) + 0.3N

(5.8′)

t 0iτ 0i

The value of ya0h is a conservative value calculated by assuming the standard shear coefficient C0 to
be 0.2 and neglecting the tensile stresses in both the concrete and vertical reinforcement except foredge reinforcement in the cross section on the tension side, and is represented as a function of N as
shown in Commentary Figure 5.4. Story deformation angle takes a maximum value in the first storyof a 5-story building, due to seismic load corresponding to C0=0.2. According to horizontal loading
tests on a full-scale 3-D test specimen, however, that value was as small as 0.38 × 10-4 rad.
Considering this fact, it is not generally conceivable that cracking would occur at the ends of abearing wall under the stress corresponding to C0 = 0.2. Therefore, on the premise of an appropriate
bearing wall arrangement of little eccentricity, it is not generally conceivable that the tensile stressin flexural reinforcement would reach 295 N/mm2 （the minimum value of allowable tensile stressfor temporary loading in flexural reinforcement of the various materials） even if taking into
account the stress concentration (see the Commentaries on Clause 2, Article 4) due to the difference
in aspect ratio of bearing walls (note: assuming that the factor of stress concentration is φ, theallowable inflection point height is ya0h/φ). The prescribed flexural reinforcement is required inorder to keep the stresses of the primary structural elements within the elastic limit in the case ofearthquakes that are likely to be encountered several times during the service life of the building, as
well as to ensure the necessary horizontal load-carrying capacity and to increase the ductility so thatthe building will not collapse in the case of the expected maximum earthquake (an acceleration ofground surface of 3 to 4m/sec2) that is likely to occur during its service life.

46

2-story building
Single-story
building

Single-story and 2-story building

3-story building

4-story building

5-story building

C. Fig. 5.4 Allowable inflection height, ya0h of bearing walls on each story at C0 = 0.2(The figures are given for normal concrete, Li = L0i and the allowable tensile stress, ft(temporary) = 295 N/mm2 areassumed. The roman numerals denote the order of story from ground level.)

Explanation above is given for normal concrete, assuming wall length ratio Li of each story to be
specified wall length ratio. In case where light weight concrete is used or where Li is larger than L0i.
the values of τ i are smaller than any of the values of τ 0i in Commentary Table 4.3 (see thefootnote in Commentary Table 4.3). Therefore, the value of yah of bearing walls in each story islarger than the value of ya0h in Commentary Figure 5.4 and the tensile stress in flexural
reinforcement is smaller than that in both cases where normal weight concrete is used and where Li= L0i.
In case where the roof has a slope, heights up to 4 m are permitted from the top surface of the floorslab on the top story to the eaves. Considering the value of ya0h of bearing walls on the top story, it47

is stipulated that the height of the edge of an opening should be 2.8 m or less. In the design, rigid
care must be given to the installation position of wall girders so as not to allow the height of theedge of an opening to exceed 2.8 m.
From the above, it may be thought that the flexural reinforcement quantity of bearing walls in eachstory given in Table 4 of this article is stipulated so as to keep the tensile stress in flexural
reinforcement within ft(temporary), in accordance with Enforcement Order No.82(stress intensity and soforth).
Flexural Reinforcement 2-D13 for top story in Table 4 should be provided as double reinforcing bar
arrangement, to resist to out-of-plane flexural moment to some extent. Commentary Figure 5.4
clearly shows that even 1-D13 is adequate for in-plane flexural moment. Therefore, bearing walls
having a T, L, + or other plan type that can effectively withstand flexural moment orthogonal to thewall plane need not contain a double flexural reinforcing bar arrangement in an unreasonable
manner if the wall thickness is 180 mm or less. (For walls more than 180 mm thick, double
reinforcing arrangement is required by Clause 8.)
Under Proviso of Clause 2 Article 4, on such stories that the total wall length, ∑l, divided by thefloor area, Si, for calculating wall length ratio on that story is smaller than the value of L0i given in
Table 1 of Article 4, those bearing walls in the calculation direction whose thickness t is larger thanthe prescribed wall thickness t0i must have flexural reinforcement with the amount of the "flexural
reinforcement of the bearing wall" given in Table 4 of this article overdesigned by the ratio of t/t0i.
7. Reinforcement along the Horizontal Edge of Opening
The reinforcement along the horizontal edges of an opening plays a dual role as a flexural
reinforcement in the wall girders above and under the opening and shear reinforcement in thehorizontal direction and as a stiffener to maintain safety against the accompanied diagonal tensile
forces at the corners of the opening.
The necessary cross sectional area and peripheral length of flectural reinforcement of wall girders
above and below openings should be calculated in accordance with Article 6. When horizontal shear
reinforcement (hereafter horizontal reinforcement) calculated by Section 3 and 4 of this Article,
according to Section 2(3) of Article 6, is needed to provide along the edge of openings, it should beplaced along with flexural reinforcement or bars having equal to or more than the sum of thesectional area of these.(see Commentaries to Section 3 of this Article and Commentary Figure 5.2)
For the required cross sectional area necessary for strengthening against accompanied diagonaltensile forces at the corners of an opening, only if diagonal reinforcement is not placed according to
the proviso of Clause 9 of this article, the cross sectional area should be calculated according to theprovisions of the clause. And a lapping bar of this cross sectional area or more should be placed at
the corners of the opening or an extra cross sectional area of reinforcement at the horizontal edges
48

should be added by the cross sectional area.
For small openings, the steel quantity thus calculated is small and is not appropriate forreinforcement around the opening. Therefore, use of D13 or more is stipulated irrespective of
calculation results.
8.

Reinforcing Bar Arrangement in Bearing Walls

Considering that bearing wall of 180 mm thick or more are used mostly in the stories except for the
top story of 3-story or higher buildings, double reinforcing bar arrangement should be employed, toresist to out-of-plane bending moment to some extent, and to mitigate cracking due to drying
shrinkage.
9.

Reinforcing Bar Arrangement at Intersections between Bearing Walls and Floor Slabs, andCorners of Openings

Considering that horizontal reinforcing bars of bearing walls at intersections between floor slabs
support reinforcing bars of floor slabs, D 13 bars or larger should be used to prevent dislocation ofslab reinforcement during bar arrangement of floor slabs and concreting.
Since diagonal tension cracks occur at the corners of an opening, adequate reinforcement is required
against this. Diagonal reinforcement orthogonal to the cracks is the most effective in strengthening.
For walls 180 mm thick containing horizontal and vertical reinforcement in a double reinforcing bar
arrangement, however, marked deterioration is presumed in concrete placing at the corners of the
opening if a double diagonal reinforcing bar arrangement is also used. In such cases, consideringthat horizontal and vertical reinforcements at opening edges forming an angle of 45 degrees
between diagonal cracking can contribute to strengthening against diagonal cracking by theirrespective cross sections multiplied by 1 / 2 , it is stipulated as the proviso that no diagonal
reinforcement need be placed if a cross sectional area 2 / 2 = 0.70 times or more, the necessary

cross sectional area (cross sectional area half or more of the reinforcement shown in Table 4 of thisarticle) of diagonal reinforcement, namely, 0.35 or more times the reinforcement shown in Table 4of this article is added to the necessary cross sectional area of horizontal and vertical reinforcements
respectively at the opening edges.
10. Treatment of Concentrated Stresses Acting on Bearing Walls
The point where a wall girder or a beam intersects a bearing wall should be carefully designed tocarry torsional moment and shearing force. For this purpose, it is recommended to provide buttressor to make wall girders strong enough to carry torsional moment. When a buttress is not provided,
double reinforcing bar arrangement should be employed to resist out-of-plane torsional moment.
ACI standards specify the effective length of a bearing wall to carry concentrated load, as smaller
one of the following two cases (See Commentary Figure 5.5.).

49

i)

Distance x between concentrated loads on centerii) d + 4 t
where,
d : length of acting portion of concentrated loadt : wall thickness

C. Fig. 5.5 Situation of concentrated vertical loads and effective length of a bearing wall

50

Article 6 Structural Details of Wall Girders
1. At the top of bearing walls of each story, wall girders should be provided effectively and continuously.
2. The wall girders should be designed to have sufficient strength to carry horizontal and vertical loads,
as well as to conform to the following requirements:(1) The width of wall girders should be equal to or more than the thickness of the bearing walls
connected to the wall girders concerned.
(2) The depth of wall girder should be 450 mm or more in principle.
(3) The provisions of Section 8 of Article 5 should be applied to the arrangement of reinforcement ofwall girders, and the provisions of Sections 3, 4 and 5 of Article 5 should be applied to horizontal
and vertical reinforcements other than flexural reinforcement.
(4) Wall girders not rigidly and monolithically connected to rigid roof or floor slabs should have aneffective width B, equal to or greater than 1/20 of the distance between horizontal supports, andsufficient reinforcement should be provided so as to resist out-of-plane horizontal loads. For
wall girders having an L- or T-shape cross section, the flange portion with a thickness t not lessthan 150 mm (120 mm for single-story building) may be included into the effective width B (seeFigure. 1).

B :
b :
D :

effective width of wall girderwdth of wall girder
depth of wall girdertte: flange thickness: no less than 150 mm (no less than
120 mm for single-story building)Fig. 1 Effective width of wall girders

51

1.

Role of Wall Girders

Portions above openings form wall girders. Wall girders play the role of connecting bearing walls at
the top to form a structural frame. They generally have a thickness equal to or greater than bearing
walls, and make sure the three dimensional effect of the entire building by connecting bearing walls
and slabs.
Wall girders work together with foundation beams to prevent lifting and overturning of the bearing
walls. Besides, wall girders transfer stresses of bearing walls to another and redistribute stresses toundamaged bearing walls, and prevent collapse of entire story when a bearing wall or bearing walls
in one direction deteriorated vertical load carrying capacity due to development of shear cracks. As
a result, RC box-shaped wall buildings have structural characteristics hardly allowing a story
collapse compared with moment resisting frame structures. Experimental tests of RC box-shaped
wall buildings having low shear reinforcement ratio of 0.15 to 0.25% show enough ductile
performance during heavy earthquakes, without story collapse. The reason is considered to be
attributed to integrity by three dimensional effect.
The reason why wall girders are provided for RC box-shaped wall structures is to support the deadand live loads of the slabs, and to transfer earthquake load to bearing walls. Therefore,
independent multistory bearing walls such as end transverse walls or walls between dwellings need
not flexural reinforcements at the level of wall girders.
2.

Structural Details of Wall Girders(a) Design Stress of Wall Girders
Since the important role of preventing or mitigating lifting up, rotating or turning over of bearing
walls connected at the ends, which decreases shear resistance, is imposed on wall girders, theyshould be designed to have sufficient strength and rigidity. Design stresses for sustained loading
are calculated for distributed loads of roof or floor slabs including dead load of wall girders
themselves, under fixed end or semi-fixed end condition.
Design stresses for temporary loading are approximately calculated as following procedure:
assuming the conditions of i) and ii), for design shear forces and height of inflexion point of bearing
walls. The sum of bending moments of bearing walls above and bellow, at the intersection of thecenter lines of the bearing walls and the wall girders are distributed to wall girders in proportion to
the rigidities of wall girders. Design stresses for horizontal loading are added to these values, thus
design stress for temporary loading are obtained.
i)

Shear force
where,: Q = t lτt : thickness of bearing wall,l : length of bearing wall, and52τ : mean shear stress of bearing walls of the story
concerned, obtained by dividing story shear force by thesum of cross sectional area of bearing walls in eachdirection. The values given in Commentary Table 4.3
may be employed when not calculated.
(It is called "mean shear stress method.")ii)Height of inflexion point: center of the height of the portion having the samewall length (see Commentary on Clause 1, Article
5)[Note] For a structural frame comprised of bearing walls and wall

girders connecting them and having openings which are alllarge so that its shape approximates to an ordinary regularrigid moment resisting frame, the height ratios of inflexion
point of the bearing walls on the top and bottom stories canbe assumed to be 0.4 and 0.6, respectively. However, if
the height ratio of inflexion point of the bearing wall on thebottom story is raised from 0.5 to 0.6, the flexural
reinforcement quantity at the second story will bedecreased. Therefore, it is safer to assume that all theheight ratios of inflexion point to be 0.5, if the openings are
small or the structural frame takes the form of an irregularmoment resisting frame so that the positions of theinflexion points are ambiguous.

When the horizontal length of bearing wall is large, bearing walls carry large shear force which aretransferred to wall girders. It is desirable that the wall girders carry whole amount of bending
moment transferred from the bearing wall. When it is difficult to arrange required reinforcement inwall girder, the width of the wall girder should be increased. Even if it is impossible to arrange thesufficient amount of reinforcement, bending moments to compensate for the shortage ofreinforcement should be added to the lower bearing wall, and redistributed to the wall girders at
the bottom of the bearing wall (see Figure 6.1 and the Commentaries on Clause 6, Article 5). In
addition, do not fail to carry these deficits of moment completely by the wall girder of the lower
story or the foundation beam of the bottom story.
A structural frame of RC box-shaped wall buildings can be considered as a monolithic structural
frame comprised of bearing walls, wall girders and joints between them (see Commentary Figure6.2). Therefore, if reinforcement is placed so as to transmit the in-plane stresses at the ends of thewall girder to the joints in an adequately safe manner against both sustained and temporary loads,
the structural frame should be such construction as to conform provision "wall girders should be
provided effectively and continuously at the top of the bearing walls in each story" in Section 1 of
Article 6.
(b) Arrangement of Reinforcement of Wall Girders
Since the tensile reinforcement ratio of wall girders is not generally greater than the balanced
reinforcement ratio, the principal role of flexural reinforcement is to carry the tensile stresses which
are induced when the concrete becomes unable to transmit the tensile stresses after concrete
sections are cracked and to ensure safety against the in-plane stresses described before. Therefore,
the arrangement of reinforcement in the joint must be determined considering what kinds of cracks
53

will be expected to occur in the joint.
Since the wall thickness at the joint between bearing walls and wall girders of RC box-shaped wall
structure is equal to the thickness of the wall girder and bearing wall in many common cases, it isnecessary to assume the possibility of cracking due to end stresses in the wall girder to penetrate
into the joint or to occur in the joint (see Commentary Figure 6.3). The penetration or occurrenceof such cracks depends on the end stresses (M, Q) of the wall girder as well as on the plan type of
joint (+, T, or L), geometry of joint (aspect ratio), presence of wall girders or orthogonal bearing
walls, and the positions of orthogonal members. Accordingly, for the anchorage of flexural
reinforcement of the wall girder in a thin joint of RC box-shaped wall structure, the care which isdifferent from the ordinary anchorage methods in a beam-column joint of RC moment resisting
frames should be paid.
Roof board
Roof slab
Joint

Seismicforce

WallgirderBearing
Opening
wall

Joint

Wall
girderJoint

Top
Bearing wall
Leg

Opening

Bearingwall
Floor
Floor boar
slabd

Joint

Wall
girderBearing Opening
wall

Joint

Wall
girderJoint

Bearing wall

Opening

BearingwallStandard B.M.D. + Deficit B.M.D = Design B.M.D.

C. Fig. 6.1
Treatment of deficit bending moments
on wall girder

C. Fig. 6.2
Division of a structural frame for considering
anchorage of wall girder's flexural
reinforcement

Since RC box-shaped wall structures are composed of thin members, difficulties exist in dense
arrangement of reinforcement in work execution compared to the ordinary RC rigid moment
resisting frames. It is necessary to pay attention to ensuring ductility by placing shear
reinforcement within the wall girder and the bearing wall or otherwise as well as decidearrangements of reinforcement in each story taking due care of securing large horizontal
load-carrying capacity.
For the top reinforcement in the wall girder in the top story, in case where it is anticipated thatcracking will occur at the upper edge of the joint and propagate toward a corner of an opening
forming an angle of 45 degrees to the horizontal, the anchorage must be effected by a length of thereinforcement that is longer than the necessary development length l and lies within the portion
beyond the fracture surface at 45 degrees. In addition, in the exterior joints, a splice longer than
the necessary splicing length l0 must be arranged at the end of the bearing wall (see Commentary54

Figure 6.3). For the exterior joints, a line drawn from a corner of an opening at 45 degrees fromthe horizontal will intersect with the vertical edge of the joint if the height of joint is taller than thewidth. In such cases, the top reinforcement of the wall girder must be bent down at the vertical edgeof the joint to arrange a splice longer than l0 at the end of the bearing wall.
For the bottom reinforcement of wall girders on the top story and the top and bottom reinforcementsof wall girders on the middle stories, they all intersect at right angles at the corners of the opening
as well as the flexural reinforcement of the bearing wall and these two reinforcements at right angle
to each other can resist against the cracking that can be expected to occur at a corner of an opening.
Therefore, it is sufficient to anchor the reinforcement in a length longer than the necessary length lmeasured in the portion beyond the corner of the opening. If in a joint between the bearing wall
and wall girders the flexural reinforcements of the right and left wall girders overlap, it is desirable
to arrange continuous reinforcements through the bearing wall for good concrete casting in the
joint.
Top reinforcement

Roof surface

Roof surface

Bottomreinforcement

Top reinforcement

Bending reinforcement
at end of bearing wall

Flexural reinforcement

Corner of opening

Corner of opening(a) Intermediate joint on top story(b) Outermost joint on top story

Corner of opening

Corner of opening

Top reinforcement

Top reinforcement

Bottom reinforcement

Bottom reinforcement
Corner of opening

Corner of opening(c) Intermediate joint on intermediate story(d) Outermost joint on intermediate story(Note:
these figures,
figures, thereinforcementin the wallis represente(Note:
InInthesethemainflexuralreinforcement
ingirderthe wallgirder dby one bar of the top and bottom reinforcements and others are omitted.)

C. Fig. 6.3 Assumed cracking in concrete in relation to the anchorage of flexural
reinforcement of a bearing wall in the joint between the bearing wall and a wall girder

It is considered that stress concentration of bond stresses in the anchorage portion occurs and norestraint effect of orthogonal members or hoops can be expected against and bond splitting of
covering concrete in the anchorage portion. The necessary development length l is obtained by
Equation (6.1).
l=

σ t ⋅ at
0.8 f a ⋅ ϕ

(6.1)

55

where,σ t : maximum stress present in reinforcement in anchorage orsplicing portion. The allowable stress of the bar should
be taken for this in principle. If a hook is made at the endof the bar, 2/3 of that value may be employed.
at : cross sectional area of bar,
ϕ : perimeter of bar, andfa : allowable bond stress which is the value* of the top
reinforcement irrespective of the position of thereinforcement.
[Note] * For deformed bar, there are cases where the concrete covering
depth over that bar is less than 1.5 times the bar diameter because
the joint is thin. In such cases, design must be executed paying
attention to the provision of the RC Standard, namely, "fa shall be
the standard value multiplied by the covering depth/(1.5 times bar
diameter)."

Since stress concentration of bond stresses in a splicing portion occurs at both ends of the splice, thebond stress distribution in the splicing portion is more levelled off than that in the anchoring portion.
Considering this fact, the necessary splice length l0 is derived using the following formula:l0 =σ t ⋅ at
fa ⋅ϕ

(6.2)

(c) Structural Requirements of Wall Girders
For the wall girder, conformance to the following limits 1) to 4) is stipulated besides thecalculations above.
1) Thickness of Wall Girder
Since the wall girder generally is apt to have a smaller rigidity than the bearing wall, it isinappropriate to have a wall girder thinner than the adjacent bearing walls from the view
point of an additional purpose of having the inflexion points of bearing walls at theircenters.
2) Depth of Wall Girder
Based on the objective in the previous paragraph, it is also stipulated that the depth of awall girder should be 450 mm or more in principle.
3) Shear Reinforcement in Wall Girder
The shear reinforcement (horizontal and vertical reinforcements except the flexural
reinforcement) in a wall girder should be placed in the same manner as the shear
reinforcement in the bearing walls connected to it. That is, the wall girder must also56satisfy the reinforcement provisions about horizontal and vertical shear reinforcements
given in Table 3 as well as an adequate amount of reinforcements must be placed against
shear stresses for sustained and temporary loadings of wall girders.
4) Effective Width of Wall Girder not Integral with Rigid Roof or Floor Slabs
RC box-shaped wall buildings make it a point to install rigid roof or floor slabs. If they
are not rigid under the proviso of Article 7, strengthening is required by installing a wall
girder whose effective width (horizontal width) is 1/20 or more of the distance between
structurally important horizontal supports (namely, adjoining two planes of structure
perpendicular to the structural frame of that wall girder) for ensuring adequate safety
against out-of-plane bending due to horizontal forces.

57

Article 7

Floor and Roof Construction

Floors and roofs should be reinforced concrete slabs, and should be firmly connected to bearing walls or
beams except for slabs of ground floor (other than constructed on soft soil) and, roofs of 2- or single
story buildings.

Floors and roofs play very important roles of transferring earthquake loads to bearing walls.
Therefore, they should be rigid structures. Slabs of the ground floor of RC box-shaped wallbuildings are sometimes constructed employing wooden framework. But, the wooden framework ofthis type is not considered to be desirable from structural engineers’ viewpoint. Rigid floor slabs
prevent in-plane relative displacement and rotation and work together with foundation beams, toincrease flexural rigidity, and to prevent or mitigate differential settlement. Therefore, floors of theground floor should be composed of reinforced concrete slabs or rigid prefabricated reinforced
concrete slabs.
Considering that 2- or single story buildings generally have sufficient margin load carrying
capacity (See Commentary Table 4.3 and Fig. 5.4), the roofs may be constructed with wooden
framework.

58

Article 8Foundation

Foundations should be designed and constructed so as to satisfy following requirements.
1. Under the bearing walls of the lowest story of the building concerned, foundation beams should be effectively
provided.
2. Foundations should have sufficient strength to carry both vertical and lateral forces. Besides, they should be inaccordance with the following requirements.
(1) The width of foundation beams should be equal to or wider than the thickness of the bearing walls
above.
(2) The main reinforcement of foundation beams should satisfy the requirement of Article 5.8, and the otherreinforcement should satisfy the requirement of Article 5.5.

1. Continuous Foundation and Foundation BeamIn the planes of bearing walls, continuous foundation beams
are provided, under bearing walls to enhance rigidity of thestructure. The continuous foundation is composed of twoparts, foundation beam and footing slab (See Commentary
Fig.8.1).
When soil is too soft to have sufficient bearing capacity, pilefoundation should be employed. In this case, foundation slabs
may be provided only in the vicinity of piles, and other parts
may be bare foundation beams without foundation slabs.

Bearing wall

FFoundation
ooting beam
beam
Footing slab

C. Fig. 8.1 Cross section ofcontinuous foundation

In case of direct foundation, foundation beams without foundation slabs may be allowed underwide openings in order to prevent upward bending due to reaction forces from soil.
Continuous foundation beams work to enhance overall rigidity of the building, and are effective toprevent or mitigate differential settlement.

2. Principle of Foundation Design
In case of direct foundation, the area of foundation slab should be sufficient enough to carry bothsustained and temporary loads transferred from the superstructure of the building concerned.
Niigata Earthquake of June, 1964, and the Nihonkai Chubu Earthquake of May, 1983 caused
overturning and tilting of 4- and 2-story RC box-shaped wall apartment buildings, respectively, and59

made them useless (See Photo 8.1).
In these cases, soils were fine sand, which were liquefied due to earthquake motion. An adjacentfour-story apartment building with semi-basement for storage space was quite all right, in theformer case. Deep embedment such as the establishment of the basement, would be effective toprevent tilting. Be careful to fine sand and high water table which is apt to be liquefied. Soil
condition should be surveyed by boring beforehand.

Phot. 8.1

Prefectural 4-story apartment houses of RC box-shaped wallbuilding in Kawagishi-cho, Niigata City, which turned over in
the Niigata Earthquake in June 1964

When the soil condition is not considered good enough to support the building concerned, pilefoundation should be employed. Piles should not be provided under wide openings, but should be
provided under bearing walls carrying especially large axial load. Pile heads should be tightly
connected to foundation slabs, and should be carefully designed not to be damaged, due to lateralloads. Besides, foundation beams should be designed to carry in-plane shearing forces and bending
moments.
Foundation beams should be designed according to the following requirements.

(1) The Width of Foundation Beams
It is desirable to make foundation of bearing walls to be fixed condition at foundation, (the fixedend condition may be adopted for calculating stresses of the beams of upper stories). Therefore, togive sufficient rigidity to foundation beams, the width of foundation beams should be larger than
the thickness of bearing walls above.

60

(2) Shear Reinforcement of Foundation Beams
The shear reinforcement of foundation beams should be provided in consideration of soil pressure
due to reaction and earthquake loads and other loads, if any. Besides, reinforcement should conformto the following requirement. The diameter of shear reinforcement of foundation beams should be
D10 or larger, and the spacing should be 300 mm or shorter (In case of double arrangement, 450
mm or shorter for one side.) When the width of a foundation beam is 180 mm or larger, double
arrangement should be provided.

61

Article 9 Construction PracticeConstruction of RC box-shaped wall structure in accordance with this standard should satisfy AIJ Standard
Specification 5 Reinforced Concrete Works (Abbreviated as JASS1)) andArrangement of Wall-shaped Buildings.

Guideline for Reinforcing Bar

Maximum aggregate size for concrete should be 20mm or smaller.

RC box-shaped wall buildings is a kind of RC structure in nature, consequently they should be inaccordance with JASS 5 Concrete Works
and theGuideline for Reinforcing Bar
2)
Arrangement , in general. But, considering the following characteristics particular to wall-shaped
structures, Guideline for Reinforcing Bar Arrangement of Wall-shaped Buildings3) was published,because of the following items.
1) RC box-shaped wall buildings are excluded from

Guideline for Reinforcing Bar Arrangement.

2) At the corners of openings, diagonal reinforcing bars are generally provided. Spaces between
reinforcing bars at such parts are not wide enough to fill up with concrete.
3) The quality of compaction of concrete for walls and beams affects the structural performance ofRC box-shaped wall buildings.
Considering these points, the maximum size of a coarse aggregate is decided to be 20 mm toprevent the void.
Precision of cutting and bending of reinforcing bars is very important for both structural
performance and durability of RC box-shaped wall buildings. Reinforcing bar arrangement at the
specified position makes bars and concrete work well together, and keeps precise cover thickness
for assuring durability of structures.

1)

AIJ: Japanese Architectural Standard Specification, Apr.1993

2)

AIJ: Guideline for Reinforcing Bar Arrangement, Sept. 1986.

3)

AIJ: Guideline for Reinforcing Bar Arrangement of Wall-shaped Structures, Nov.,1987

62

Appendix A Historical Earthquake Damages

In Japan, significant damages of wooden structures and reinforced frame structures have beencaused by many earthquakes. There were some reinforced concrete box-shaped wall buildings,
composed of bearing walls, slabs and beams, in the areas where the 1964 Niigata Earthquake, the1968 Tokachi-oki Earthquake, the 1975 Ohita-ken Chubu Earthquake, and the 1978 Miyagi-ken Oki
Earthquake caused heavy damages.
References 1)〜3) give the damages to RC box-shaped wall buildings due to these earthquakes.
These buildings were built between 1954 and 1977, and the configurations were of simple andregular shape. The 1995 Hyogo-ken Nanbu Earthquake whose JMA intensity was VII caused
significant damages to many structures including steel structures.
Systematic investigation of damaged RC box-shaped wall buildings was conducted. The followings
are the brief summary of the damages to RC box-shaped wall buildings, due to strong earthquakes.
(1) During the 1964 Niigata Earthquakes, some buildings were overturned or tilted due toliquefaction, and some of which were damaged in superstructures, but not so seriously.
(See Table 1)(2) During the 1968 Tokachi Oki Earthquakes, a two-story house under construction was
heavily damaged, but four buildings nearby were not damaged at all. (see Table 2)(3) During the 1975 Ohita-ken Chubu Earthquakes, whose hypocenter was shallow and justbelow this area, a four-story hotel of reinforced concrete frame structure with basement
was heavily damaged, but a two-story RC box-shaped wall building was not damaged atall.
(4) After the 1978 Miyagi-ken Oki Earthquakes, all the reinforced concrete structures innorthern, southern and western part of Sendai were investigated. They were 128 four- or
five- story apartment buildings, owned by City of Sendai, The Japan Housing Corporation,and three private enterprises, 38 one to three story buildings owned by public agencies,
and 169 in total.
The result is shown in Tables 3. and 4. The slightly damaged structures had narrow shear
cracks. They were built on reclaimed areas of formerly slopes.
(5) During the Hyogo-ken Nanbu Earthquakes, many reinforced concrete frame structuresdesigned according to the AIJ Standard for Structural Calculation of Reinforced Concrete
Structures were heavily damaged or collapsed, but no heavily damaged RC box-shaped
wall buildings were observed, among more than one thousand investigated buildings. Onlynine buildings (0.9 % of all investigated) were slightly damaged. The number of buildings63

of this type with any damages including very slight ones were 40, which were about 4%.
These numbers are amazingly small for the heaviest level of earthquakes. Most of thedamages were related to soil failures, such as sliding, liquefaction, tilting, settlement, andbreakage in foundation piles, and subsequent to the cracking of walls.

Table 1 Damage of Superstructure of RC wall buildings caused by the Niigata Earthquake

Story[Buildings]
5
4
3
2
1
Damage Level
Sum
No Damage*
0
16
13
6
0
35
Slight Damage**
0
5
10
3
2
20
Light Damage***
0
0
0
1
0
1
* No apparent damage** Crack can be observed in the wall girders or bearing walls.
*** Crack can be observed in wall girders or bearing walls. Large crack can be observed in somemembers.
Table 2 Damage of Superstructures of RC wall buildings caused by the Tokachi-oki Earthquake

Story
Damage Level
No Damage
Heavy Damage

5

4

3

2

1

0
0

2
0

2
0

0
1*

0
0

[Buildings]
Sum
4
1* Under Construction

Table 3 Damage of Superstructure of RC wall buildings caused by the Miyagi-ken Oki Earthquake

Story
5
4
3
2
1
Damage Level
No Damage
80
40
18
11
6
Slight Damage
8
2
3
0
0
Light Damage*
1
0
0
0
0
*Partial damages at construction joints in shorter direction of the structure

64[Buildings]
Sum
155
13
1

Table 4 The list of damaged RC Wall buildings caused by the Miyagi-ken Oki Earthquake

Name of sites

Building LongitudinalNo.
direction

Type of damage

DamagedLevelslightMinami-Kaji
Cho

South

E-W

Horizontal
displacementatconstruction joint of bearing walls inshorter direction(1st, 2nd floor)

Shiroumaru
Higashi4-4

E-W

One directional S.C .of bearing walls in shorter
direction (the upper stories)

SlightTsurugaoka No.2

5A-17

N-S

One directional S.C .of bearing walls in shorter
direction (the lower stories)

Slight

”

5A-18

E-W

One directional S.C. of bearing walls
in shorter direction (East side)

Slight

”

5A-19

E-W

”

5A-28

E-W

”

5A-29

E-W

Tsurugaya

2

E-W

”

5

E-W

Tsurugaya
Go-chome

8

E-W

”

11

E-W

One directional S.C. of bearing walls
in shorter direction (the upper
stories)
One directional S.C. of bearing walls
in shorter direction (the upper
stories)
One directional S.C. of bearing walls
in shorter direction (the upper
stories)
One directional S.C. of bearing walls
in shorter direction (the lower
stories)
One directional S.C. of exterior
walls in longitudinal direction
Horizontal
displacementatconstruction joint of bearing walls inshorter direction (1st floor)
Both directional S.C. of bearing
walls in shorter direction (the lower
stories)
Both directional S.C. of bearing
walls in shorter direction (the lower
stories)

SlightSlightKimachiApartment

E-W

Shear crack
bearing walls(haircracking)

inOdakyuApartment

E-W

Shear crack
bearing walls(haircracking)

in

E-W

Shear crack
bearing walls(haircracking)

inUesugiApartment*S.C. = Shear Cracking

65

SlightSlightSlightLight

SlightSlightSlightSlightAppendix B

Earthquake Response of RC Box-shaped Wall Buildings

1. Objective
The structures having high rigidity such as reinforced concrete box-shaped wall buildings
composed of walls, slabs and wall girders (herein after RC box-shaped wall buildings) have been
scarcely damaged during recent destructive earthquakes in Japan (See Appendix A). The reason forthis fact is considered that the sufficient bearing walls having relatively continuous lateral rigidities
between adjacent stories provide high resisting capacity against torsion and lateral loads. Here thevarious response analyses of five concentrated mass elasto-plastic models, having various
parameters of initial stiffness, rigidity ratios and hysteresis characteristics, are calculated, and therelation between the initial rigidities and the maximum displacements is discussed.

2. A Five Lumped Mass Non-Linear Earthquake Response Model
1) The Method of Modeling and Analysis
A five-concentrated mass non-linear shearing modelis shown in Fig.1. All the masses are the same (mi=1.0tf), and every story height is h=3m, and the base isfixed. The elastic stiffness of each story is decided sothat the inter story drift angle (R0.2) should be 1/2000 as
standard, when the distribution of design shear forces is
Ai distribution and C0 =0.2. Standard shear coefficientat yielding (C0) is assumed to be 0.5. The earthquake
waves employed for analysis are EL Centro 1940 NS,
Taft 1952 EW, and Hachinohe 1968 N.S.
The integration method employed is linear
Fig. 1 Mass and story heightacceleration method. Damping is assumed to be
proportional to initial rigidity, and the coefficient
h=0.03
2) Comparison of the analytical results with full scale model experiments conducted in thepast
The shear deformation angle is given as,
Rs =

1.5Q
GAw

The inter story drift angle due to flexure is given as,
66

Rb =

δb
h

=

Q
× (h 3 + (h − h0 ) 3
3EI ⋅ hwhere,
Q : applied shear force,
Aw : the cross sectional area of bearing wall= t ⋅ l ,G : elastic shear modulus,
h : story height, andh0 : height of Inflection point.
Replacing the following values,
Aw = t ⋅ l
G =E/2.3 (E: Young’s modulus)
y0 =h0 h
into previous equations,
Rs =
Rb =

1.5Q
Gtl ,
Qh 3
( y03 + (1
2 .3
3
Gtl h
4

y0 ) 3 ) =4Q h 2( ) (1 3 y0 + 3 y02 )2.3Gtl l

Assuming y0 =0.5, where Rb takes a minimum value
Rb( y 0 = 0.5) =

1Q
h 2
×( )
l
2.3GtlConsequently, the ratio of shear deformation to flexure deformation is expressed as,Rsl= 3.45 × ( ) 2
Rb( y 0 = 0.5)h67

○Initial Shear Cracking●Maximum Strength

Shear stress▽Ultimate Strength

Angle R(×10-3)
Fig.2 Inter-story Drift Angle

When the wall length ratio in one direction of an RC box-shaped wall building is
150mm/m2, mean wall length is usually about 1.5m, and l/h≒0.54, and Rs≒Rb . According
to AIJ RC Calculation Design Standards1), mean value of Rs at the initial shear cracking of
bearing walls is about 1/4000. Considering that flexural deformation Rb =Rs, the inter story
drift angle of a RC box-shaped wall building may be considered to be about 1/2000.
Figure 2 shows the results of experiments of 37 rectangular bearing wall model
specimens1).The vertical axis shows shear stresses, and horizontal axis shows inter story drift
angles. The initial shear cracking stresses, maximum shear stresses, and ultimate shear
stresses are shown on the plotted curves. Some variances are observed, but it may be said
that the inter-story drift angles at the initial shear cracking are 1/1000〜1/500, and aremostly 1/200〜1/130 at the maximum shear stress. From these, it may be concluded thatmost specimens do not show shear cracks, when inter story drift angle is below 1/2000, andthat shear failure does not occur below 1/200. From these facts, it may be a conservative
assumption to model the restoring force so as to have the first flection point at the inter story
drift angle at 1/2000, and the second flection point at 1/200, for the purpose of this analysis.
3) Earthquake Response Analysis by Changing Initial stiffness (Analysis 1)
The initial rigidity is the parameter for the analysis. Inter story drift angles Ri at C0 =0.2
are assumed to be1/4000, 1/3000, 1/2000, 1/1500, 1/1000, and 1/500. The natural periods of68

vibration are 0.218, 0.252, 0.308,0.356, 0.436, and 0.617 sec., respectively. The inter story
drift angle at the first flection point (initiation of cracking) of each story is set at R=1/2000.
Analysis 1 is shown on Figure 3(a). When story shear stress at the first flection point is set
to Qy/3, the results of the Analysis 1-2 are shown in Figure 3(b). Hysteresis characteristics
is Trilinear, and bilinear up to R=1/200. The maximum input earthquake velocity is
50cm/sec.

(a)Analysis 1-1(b)Analysis 1-2

Shearing force-Story drift angle relationshipof the Story with Original wall Arrangement
Shearing force-Story drift angle relationship of the Story with
Increased wall Arrangement

K= Elastic stiffness
Q c’ =7/9 Qy’
Qy’=1.5Qy(c)Analysis 2

Fig. 3 Shearing force -Story drift angle relationship

1) Building Research Institute: BRI Report No.76, The Strength and Ductility of Reinforced Concrete Members, March, 1977

694) Earthquake Response Analysis by Changing Rigidity Ratios (Analysis 2)
In this analysis parameter is rigidity ratio. The inter story drift angle of the story of lower
rigidity at C0 ,=0.2, R0.2 is set to be 1/2000, and the rigidities are set so as to be Rs =0.3.
The ratio of the second slope to the first slope is assumed to be 0.2. Consequently, the interstory drift angle at the ultimate state became about 1/200. The ultimate lateral load carrying
capacity of the story where the stiffness ratio is 0.3 is assumed to be 1.5 times as much asthat of the standard value.
The framework of restoring force is set so as to the deflection at yielding be 1/200,
without the changes of the second slope of the story with lower rigidity. (See Figure 3(C).)
Restoring force of Type D-Tri (Tri-linear) is shown in Figure 4(a). Analysis of case 0〜6 ofFigure 5 is conducted, when the input earthquake velocity is 500mm/s. The natural periodsof vibration of the first mode are 0.308, 0.211, 0.208, 0.203, 0.195, 0.181, and 0.297 sec.,
respectively.
(5) Earthquake Response Analysis by Changing Histeresis Characteristics (Analysis 3)

Restoring Force

Restoring Force

The model having the origin oriented hysteresis characteristic of Case 0 (Standard Type)of Analysis 2 as shown in Figure 4(b) is analyzed. The input earthquake acceleration is set tobe 4, 3.5, and 3m/sec2.

Fig.4 Type of restoring forces

Displacement

Displacement

D-Tri Type

Origin oriented

Fig. 4 Type of restoring forces

70

5F
4F
3F
2F
1F
Case 0Case 1Case 2

Case 3

Case 4

Case 5

Case 6

Story of Low Stiffness with Interstory Drift Angle of 1/2,000
Story where interstory angle is set so that the stiffness ration be 0.3 (Inter story drift angle :1/7,833 (case 15)1/25,333(case 6)
Fig. 5 Analyzed cases (Analysis 2)

3. The Results of the Analysis
The relation between the maximum inter-story drift angle and the inter-story drift angle at C0=0.2,(R0.2 ), for Analysis 1-1 and 1-2 is shown in Figure 6(a) and Figure 6(b). The responses to three
input waves showed similar tendencies. When R0.2 is smaller than 1/2000 for the input earthquake
velocity of 50cm/sec, the maximum inter story drift angles are mostly below 1/200. When R0.2 isincreased to more than 1/2000, the maximum inter story drift angles abruptly increase. The resultsof Analysis 2 are shown in Figure 7, and Analysis 3 in Figure 8. In the case of Analysis 2(inter-story drift angle of each story is 1/2000 for the primary design), Case 0 shows the largest interstory drift angle. While the maximum inter story drift angle for El Centro 1940 NS shows 1/179,
but below 1/200 in most cases. In the case of Analysis 3, the maximum inter story drift angle for
Hachinohe 1968 NS shows excessive values of 1/69 and 1/67 to the input earthquake accelerationof 3.5m/sec2 and 4m/sec2, respectively, but other results are below 1/200 at 3m/sec2. When the
maximum acceleration is 3m/sec2, the maximum velocities for El Centro 1940 NS, Taft 1952 EW,
and Hachinohe 1968 NS are 294 mm/s., 302 mm/s., and 454 mm/s., respectively.

4. Conclusions
In the case of Analyses 1 and 2, a five mass non-linear model is analyzed parametrically for the
maximum earthquake velocity of 500 mm/s. The results show that most of the maximum interstory drift angles are below 1/200, when R0.2 is below 1/2000. In the case of Analysis 3, the model isanalyzed changing hysteresis characteristics. The results show that maximum inter story drift angles
in the case of origin oriented hysteresis are observed larger than in the case of D-Tri type, eventhough the maximum inter story drift angles are below 1/200, when maximum input earthquake
acceleration is below 3m/sec2.

71

Maximum angle

Maximum angle

Angle R (C0=0.2)

Angle R (C0=0.2 )(a)Analysis 1-1(b)Analysis 1-2

Fig. 6 Relation between initial stiffness and maximum inter-story drift angle

story

story

story

Angle(x10-3)

Angle(x10-3)

El Centro 1940 NS

Taft 1952 EW

Angle(x10-3)
Hachinohe 1968 NS NS

Fig. 7. Maximum inter-story drift angle (Analysis 2)72story

story

story

○400 cm/sec2△350 cm/sec2□300 cm/sec2

Angle(x10-3)

Angle(x10-3)

Angle(x10-3)

El Centro 1940 NS

Taft 1952 EW

Hachinohe 1968 NS

Fig. 8 Maximum inter-story drift angle (Analysis 3)

From these results, the following conclusion may be delivered. When a structure concerned
has high stiffness of maximum inter-story drift angle of about 1/2000 for every story, and higher
strength of shear factor of the first story at yielding more than 0.5, in primary design (C0 =0.2), themaximum inter story drift angles are below 1/200 in most cases. Even in the case of origin
oriented model which has low hysteresis energy consumption, s maximum response of inter story
drift angle hows below 1/200 for the maximum input earthquake acceleration up to 3m/sec2.
Therefore, it may be concluded that a five-story RC box-shaped wall building having an ultimate
lateral load carrying capacity of Ds = 0.5, shear failure of the entire structure will be exempted, if
inter-story drift angle of each story is kept about 1/2000.

73

Appendix C List of Reinforcing Bars

Cross Sectional Area and Perimeter of Reinforcing bars
Round Bars
Upper rows: Cross Sectional Area (cm2), Lower rows: Perimeter (cm)Dia
Weight
1-Ø
2-Ø
3-Ø
4-Ø
5-Ø
6-Ø
7-Ø
(mm) (kg/m)
4
0.099
0.13
0.25
0.38
0.50
0.63
0.75
0.88
1.26
2.51
3.77
5.02
6.28
7.53
8.78
5
0.154
0.20
0.39
0.59
0.79
0.98
1.18
1.37
1.57
3.14
4.71
6.28
7.86
9.43
11.00
6
0.222
0.28
0.56
0.85
1.13
1.41
1.69
1.98
1.88
3.76
5.64
7.52
9.40
11.28 13.16
7
0.302
0.38
0.77
1.15
1.54
1.92
2.31
2.69
2.20
4.40
6.60
8.80
11.00 13.20 15.40
8
0.395
0.50
1.00
1.51
2.01
2.51
3.01
3.51
2.51
5.02
7.53
10.04 12.55 15.05 17.55
9
0.499
0.64
1.27
1.91
2.54
3.18
3.82
4.45
2.83
5.65
8.48
11.31 14.14 16.96 19.79
12
0.888
1.13
2.26
3.39
4.52
5.65
6.79
7.91
3.77
7.54
11.31 15.08 18.85 22.62 26.29
13
1.04
1.33
2.65
3.98
5.31
6.64
7.96
9.29
4.08
8.17
12.25 16.34 20.42 24.50 28.60
16
1.58
2.01
4.02
6.03
8.04
10.05 12.06 14.07
5.03
10.05 15.08 20.11 25.13 30.16 35.19
19

2.23

22

2.98

25

3.85

28

4.83

32

6.31

2.84
5.97
3.80
6.91
4.91
7.85
6.16
8.80
8.04
10.05

5.67
11.94
7.60
13.82
9.82
15.71
12.31
17.59
16.08
20.11

8.51
17.91
11.40
20.73
14.73
23.56
18.47
26.39
24.13
30.16

11.34
23.88
15.21
27.65
19.63
31.42
24.63
35.19
32.17
40.21

14.18
29.85
19.01
34.56
25.54
39.27
30.79
43.98
40.21
50.27

74

17.02
35.81
22.81
41.47
29.45
47.12
36.94
52.78
48.26
60.32

19.85
41.78
26.61
48.38
34.36
54.98
43.10
61.58
56.30
70.37

8-Ø

9-Ø

10-Ø

1.01
10.04
1.57
12.57
2.25
15.04
3.08
17.60
4.01
20.08
5.09
22.62
9.05
30.16
10.62
32.67
16.08
40.21

1.13
11.30
1.77
14.14
2.54
16.92
3.46
19.79
4.52
22.60
5.73
25.45
10.18
33.93
11.95
36.75
18.09
45.24

1.26
12.55
1.96
15.71
2.82
18.80
3.85
21.99
5.02
25.10
6.36
28.27
11.31
37.70
13.27
40.84
20.11
50.27

22.68
47.75
30.41
55.29
39.27
62.83
49.26
70.37
64.34
80.42

25.52
53.72
34.21
62.20
44.18
70.69
55.42
79.17
72.38
90.48

28.35
59.69
38.01
69.12
49.09
78.54
61.58
87.92
70.42
100.70

Deformed Bars
Upper rows: Cross Sectional Area (cm2),
Name Weight Dia
1
2
3(kg/m) (mm)
D6
0.249
6.35
0.32
0.64
0.96
2.0
4.0
6.0
D10
0.560
9.53
0.71
1.43
2.14
3.0
6.0
9.0
D13
0.995
12.7
1.27
2.54
3.81
4.0
8.0
12.0
D16
1.56
15.9
1.99
3.98
5.97
5.0
10.0
15.0
D19
2.25
19.1
2.87
5.74
8.61
6.0
12.0
18.0
D22
3.04
22.2
3.87
7.74
11.61
7.0
14.0
21.0
D25
3.98
25.4
5.07
10.14 15.21
8.0
16.0
24.0
D29
5.04
28.6
6.42
12.84 19.26
9.0
18.0
27.0
D32
6.23
31.8
7.94
15.88 23.82
10.0
20.0
30.0
D35
7.51
34.9
9.57
19.14 28.71
11.0
22.0
33.0
D38
8.95
38.1
11.40 22.80 34.20
12.0
24.0
36.0
D41
10.5
41.3
13.40 26.80 40.20
13.0
26.0
39.0
D51
15.9
50.8
20.27 40.54 60.81
16.0
32.0
48.0

Length on the Market (m)Length
3.5
4.0

4.5

5.0

Lower rows: Perimeter (cm)
4
5
6
7

8

9

10

1.28
8.0
2.85
12.0
5.08
16.0
7.96
20.0
11.48
24.0
15.48
28.0
20.28
32.0
25.68
36.0
31.76
40.0
38.28
44.0
45.60
48.0
53.60
52.0
81.08
64.0

1.60
10.0
3.57
15.0
6.35
20.0
9.95
25.0
14.35
30.0
19.35
35.0
25.35
40.0
32.10
45.0
39.70
50.0
47.85
55.0
57.00
60.0
67.00
65.0
101.35
80.0

1.92
12.0
4.28
18.0
7.62
24.0
11.94
30.0
17.22
36.0
23.22
42.0
30.42
48.0
38.52
54.0
47.64
60.0
57.42
66.0
68.40
72.0
80.40
78.0
121.62
96.0

2.24
14.0
4.99
21.0
8.89
28.0
13.93
35.0
20.09
42.0
27.09
49.0
35.49
56.0
44.94
63.0
55.58
70.0
66.99
77.0
79.80
84.0
93.80
91.0
141.89
112.0

2.56
16.0
5.70
24.0
10.16
32.0
15.92
40.0
22.96
48.0
30.96
56.0
40.56
64.0
51.36
72.0
63.52
80.0
76.56
88.0
91.20
96.0
107.20104.0
162.16
128.0

2.88
18.0
6.42
27.0
11.43
36.0
17.91
45.0
25.83
54.0
34.83
63.0
45.63
72.0
57.78
81.0
71.46
90.0
86.13
99.0
102.60108.0
120.60117.0
182.43
144.0

3.20
20.0
7.13
30.0
12.70
40.0
19.90
50.0
38.70
60.0
38.70
70.0
50.70
80.0
64.20
90.0
79.40
100.0
95.70
111.0
114.00121.0
134.00130.0202.70
160.0

5.5

6.0

6.5

8.0

9.0

10.0

Except for Coils

75

7.0