Filtering load combinations for high building shear wall structures using the boundary zone moment assumption method via VBA application

Abstract

Shear walls are among the most critical load-bearing structural elements in high-rise buildings. Their greatest advantage lies in their excellent monolithic behavior and their ability to resist significant lateral forces. However, in Vietnam, the calculation of reinforcement for shear walls has not yet been explicitly specified in the current design standards. This study introduces the Boundary Zone Moment Assumption Method, which is particularly suitable for shear walls with enlarged cross-sections at both ends. Furthermore, this method tends to favor safety by considering only the flexural capacity of the reinforcement. The paper proposes a method for calculating the internal forces of shear walls based on a VBA Excel application, aimed at filtering the maximum internal force combinations for the reinforcement design of shear walls in multi-story buildings according to the boundary zone moment assumption. The proposed theoretical approach is illustrated through a numerical example applied to a real-world project.