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National Forensic Sciences University, Gandhinagar

School of Engineering & Technology
M. Tech. Forensic Structural Engineering
Semester -II, 2020-2021
Structural Design Studio-2 (RDMCE09)

Subject: Understanding Problem Statement; L shaped plan and its effect on

behavior

Prepared by: Gandhi Sagar Hitesh (101EGMTCE2021002)

Problem Statement 2
 Torsional Irregularity in plan  Stiffness Irregularity in plan
 Re-entrant corner  Seismic Zone-V
Torsional Irregularity 3
 Eccentricity between center of mass and center of rigidity causes torsion in structures.
 It makes building twist outside its plane around its rigid corner.
 Under excessive torsion, structural elements may reach to their ultimate moment
capacity or the whole structure may be forced to deflect beyond its lateral deflection
limit.
Cont… 4
 Both the legs of the building are twisting with respect to the change in direction of EQ,
which makes the intersection a point of concentration for high stresses and the building
exhibits a complicated deformed shape.
 Typically, the torsional provision requires an increase in strength of elements on the
weak direction of building & sometimes may allow decreasing of strength on the strong
direction.
Re-entrant Corner 5
 In architectural planning, setbacks on the facade, sections or parts placed at different
angles are provided to adapt to the land are common design choices.
 As per IS 1893:2016 Cl-7.1, configurations of a structure where both the projections of
the structure are greater than 15% of its plan dimension in the given direction are
called the re-entrant corners.
 The re-entrant corners of the buildings tend to produce variations of rigidity, and hence
differential motions between different parts of the building, resulting in a local stress
concentration at the notch of the re-entrant corner. The second problem is torsional
oscillations, an opening-closing mode like a wagging of a dog’s tail.
Behavior of Structure 6
 Due to torsional irregularity, the columns at the intersection face highest deflections in
both the directions and therefore they require to be very strong to prevent the failure as
they show a brittle failure.
 The axial forces in the intersecting column varies drastically as shown below.

82
150
265
370
480
580
690
790
890
kN 947
Solutions 7
 An L-shaped building when subjected to a ground motion of earthquake, attempt to
move differently at their notch, pulling and pushing each other. So the stress
concentrations are high at the notch. The magnitude of the induced forces will depend
on mass of building, structural system, length of the wings and their aspect ratios.
 To avoid this type of damage, a seismic joint should be provided between two wings of
the building.
 The re-entrant corner’s tensile capacity should be strengthened by tying the building
together strongly in the system of stress concentration to provide stiffness to the
structure in response to torsion.
 Providing smooth transitions instead of right angles can also contribute in stress
distribution.
Cont… 8
 One of the viable methods is to strengthen the notch part of the re-entrant corner using
stiff elements such as shear walls or bracings.
 Shear wall is one of lateral resisting structure which is used commonly.
 Providing shear walls can effectively reduce the displacement and story-drift of the
structure and the structure will be stable.
 This will reduce the destruction coming from lateral loads such as an earthquake.
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Thank You