DUCTILE COUPLED SHEAR WALL (DCSW) SYSTEM:

Many buildings requires shear walls to satisfy structural requirements

specified in codes. Shear walls are also preferred many times due to its
effectiveness in resisting lateral loads compared to moment resisting
frames. However, many times openings are required in shear walls to
facilitate doors, windows and other services. Such requirements results in
structural element having two or more walls separated by openings and
connected in in-plane direction by beams at every floor level, called
coupled shear wall.
When a coupled shear wall system is subject to lateral loads due to seismic
and wind forces, shear forces generated at the ends of the coupling beams
accumulate into a tensile force in one of the coupled wall piers and into a
compression forces in the other wall pier. The couple due to these tension
and compression forces resists a part of the overturning moment at the
base of the wall system, with the remainder of the overturning moment
being resisted by the wall piers themselves (Figure. 1). The ratio of the
overturning moment resisted by the tension-compression couple to the total
overturning moment at the base of the coupled wall system is often referred
to as the degree of coupling (DOC). Degree of coupling will be more when
coupling beams are short and deep. When the degree of coupling is very
low, the two wall piers tend to behave like isolated walls, and when the
degree of coupling is very high, the entire coupled wall system tends to
behave like a shear wall with openings. However, when inelastic
displacements develop in the coupling beams, the degree of coupling
reduces significantly.
A coupled shear wall system can be designed such that a considerable
amount of earthquake energy is dissipated by shear or flexural yielding in
coupling beams before the flexural hinges are formed at base of wall piers.
1  Author: Hemal Mistry, Technical Director, VHPT System, Email: hmistry@vhptsystem.com 
 DUCTILE COUPLED SHEAR WALL (DCSW) SYSTEM:

Wall piers shall be slender with aspect ratios (height to length ratios)
greater than or equal to two. Coupling beams with low aspect ratio (span to
depth ratio) may have shear yielding and with high aspect ratio may have
flexural yielding.

Figure 1 : Overturning moment resistance by Wall pier and coupling beam

Courtesy: Dr. S.K.Ghosh

2  Author: Hemal Mistry, Technical Director, VHPT System, Email: hmistry@vhptsystem.com 
 DUCTILE COUPLED SHEAR WALL (DCSW) SYSTEM:
 
Coupled shear wall systems are recognized as distinct lateral load resisting
system in Canadian and New Zealand standards. Higher response
modification / reduction factor (R) is assigned to these structural systems
due to their superior seismic performance. Response modification /
reduction factor (R) for this systems is higher compared to that for isolated
structural (shear) walls system and similar to that for special moment
resisting frames system. ACI 318-19 has recognized DCSW system and
upcoming ASCE 7-22 may introduce Design Coefficients and factors for
this system. Requirements of these international standards for DCSW
system are summarized and explained below:

(1) American codes : ACI 318-19 and upcoming ASCE 7-22.

2019 edition of ACI 318 has specified requirements for the Ductile Coupled
Structural (Shear) Wall (DCSW) system as below:
(i) Individual walls of DCSW system shall be slender walls (aspect ratio of
height to length ≥ 2) and shall satisfy all requirements of special structural
walls specified relevant clause.
Squat walls (aspect ratio <2) were found to be too stiff to allow sufficient
story drift for coupling beams to become inelastic. For this reason, shear
walls in the DCSW system need to have total height to length aspect ratio
of no less than 2.0.
There are four significant changes (as mentioned below) in ACI 318-19 for
special structural walls which are also applicable to individual walls of
DCSW system in addition to other requirements of special structural walls.

3  Author: Hemal Mistry, Technical Director, VHPT System, Email: hmistry@vhptsystem.com 
 
 DUCTILE COUPLED SHEAR WALL (DCSW) SYSTEM:
 
Shear force in special structural wall is amplified by a factor to take into
account flexural overstrength and effect of higher modes to protect walls
from brittle shear failure.
Check for drift capacity of wall is introduced to ensure that wall have
sufficient drift capacity to resist design earthquake demand with low (<10%)
probability of strength loss.
Detailing of wall boundary element and wall web is improved and
requirement of minimum longitudinal reinforcement for boundary element is
introduced to limit the possibility of brittle tension failure in lightly reinforced
walls.
(ii) Coupling beams of DCSW system shall satisfy all requirements of
coupling beam specified in relevant clause and (a) through (c) in the
direction considered.
(a) Coupling beams shall have aspect ratio (span to depth ratio) ≥ 2 at all
levels of the building.
Squat coupling beams were found to over-couple the seismic force-
resisting system, and lead to significant energy dissipation in the shear
walls. As such, coupling beams in DCSW systems need to have length to
total depth aspect ratio of no less than 2.0 in all cases. Coupling beam with
aspect ratio greater than 2 may yield in flexure while coupling beam with
aspect ratio less than 2 may yield in shear and not desirable.
(b) All coupling beams at a floor level shall have aspect ratio (span to depth
ratio) ≤ 5 in at least 90 percent of the levels of the building.
Very slender coupling beams, designated as having aspect ratio greater
than 5.0, are too weak to contribute sufficient hysteretic energy dissipation,
and are allowed in no more than 10% of the levels of the building.

4  Author: Hemal Mistry, Technical Director, VHPT System, Email: hmistry@vhptsystem.com 
 
 DUCTILE COUPLED SHEAR WALL (DCSW) SYSTEM:
 
(c) Diagonal or straight bars of coupling beams shall be developed in shear
walls (wall piers) with stress of 1.25fy.
Requirement of developing coupling beam reinforcement in adjoining was
with 1.25fy is to dissipate the intended amount of energy. This last
requirement is intended to prevent the use of fixed-pinned coupling beams
that have been utilized where insufficient length exists to develop the
coupling beam reinforcement into the adjacent shear wall.
2022 edition of ASCE 7 is expected to include response modification factor
(R=8), overstrength factor (Ω0=2.5) and deflection amplification factor
(Cd=8) for this structural system. Limiting structural height proposed for
DCSW system which is similar to that for special structural wall system, can
be increased if extreme torsional irregularity does not exists and seismic
load resisted by DCSW system is more than 60% in each principal
direction.

(2) Canadian code : CSA A23.3-14

Canadian code has specified four distinct coupled wall systems based on
degree of coupling (DOC) and ductility as mentioned below.
(i) Moderately ductile coupled shear wall — a coupled wall system that has
moderately ductile wall piers connected by moderately ductile coupling
beams where at least 66% of the base overturning moment resisted by the
wall system is carried by axial tension and compression forces in the wall
piers resulting from shear in the coupling beams and complies with relevant
design and detailing requirements of moderately ductile wall piers and
moderately ductile coupling beams. This seismic-force-resisting system
qualifies for a force modification factor, Rd of 2.5.
5  Author: Hemal Mistry, Technical Director, VHPT System, Email: hmistry@vhptsystem.com 
 
 DUCTILE COUPLED SHEAR WALL (DCSW) SYSTEM:
 
(ii) Moderately ductile partially coupled shear wall — a coupled wall system
that has moderately ductile wall piers connected by moderately ductile
coupling beams where less than 66% of the base overturning moment
resisted by the wall system is carried by axial tension and compression
forces in the wall piers resulting from shear in the coupling beams and
complies with relevant design and detailing requirements of moderately
ductile wall piers and moderately ductile coupling beams. This seismic-
force-resisting system qualifies for a force modification factor, Rd of 2.0.
(iii) Ductile coupled shear wall — a coupled wall system that has ductile wall
piers connected by ductile coupling beams where at least 66% of the base
overturning moment resisted by the wall system is carried by axial tension
and compression forces in the wall piers resulting from shear in the
coupling beams and complies with relevant design and detailing
requirements of ductile wall piers and ductile coupling beams. This seismic-
force-resisting system qualifies for a force modification factor, Rd of 4.0.
(iv) Ductile partially coupled shear wall — a coupled wall system that has
ductile wall piers connected by ductile coupling beams where less than
66% of the base overturning moment resisted by the wall system is carried
by axial tension and compression forces in the wall piers resulting from
shear in the coupling beams and complies with relevant design and
detailing requirements of ductile wall piers and ductile coupling beams. This
seismic-force-resisting system qualifies for a force modification factor, Rd
of 3.5.
Moderately Ductile Ductile
Coupled (DOC ≥ 66%) Rd = 2.5 Rd = 4.0
Partially Coupled (DOC < 66%) Rd = 2.0 Rd = 3.5

6  Author: Hemal Mistry, Technical Director, VHPT System, Email: hmistry@vhptsystem.com 
 
 DUCTILE COUPLED SHEAR WALL (DCSW) SYSTEM:
 
(3) Newzealand code : NZS 3101 - 2006

Newzealand code has specified structural ductility factor (μ) of 6 for ductile
coupled wall system when two or more coupled walls are available.
Following requirements are specified in Newzealand code for Ductile
coupled wall system:
(i) Ductile coupled walls to be designed to restrict inelastic deformation to
positional plastic hinge region at base of each wall and in the coupling
beams.
(ii) Critical section (Plastic hinge region) in walls shall be detailed for
ductility.
(iii) The region of wall immediately above the lowest coupling beam and
below the next coupling beam shall be detailed for ductility.
(iv) In area above the potential plastic hinge region, the walls shall be
designed to restrict inelastic deformation to coupling beams. Elastic
behaviour of wall in this area shall be ensured by designing walls to sustain
1.2 times overstrength moment from each individual coupling beam acting
in addition to the overall seismic actions on the walls.
(v) Deformation of coupling beams at ULS shall comply with specified
material strain limits.
(vi) Coupling beams shall be designed and detailed as Diagonally
reinforced coupling beams or Conventionally reinforced coupling beams
depending upon magnitude of shear force, seismic induced deformation
and material strain in coupling beam.

7  Author: Hemal Mistry, Technical Director, VHPT System, Email: hmistry@vhptsystem.com 
 
 DUCTILE COUPLED SHEAR WALL (DCSW) SYSTEM:
 
References:
(1) An ACI standard -Building code requirements for structural concrete
(ACI 318-19);
(2) Canadian standard - Design of concrete structures (CSA A23.3-14);
(3) New Zealand Standard - Concrete structures standard (NZS 3101-
2006);
(4) NEHRP recommended seismic provisions for new buildings and other
structures (FEMA P-2082-1)
(5) Ductile Coupled Reinforced Concrete Shear Walls and Coupled
Composite Steel Plate Shear Walls as Distinct Seismic Force-
Resisting Systems in ASCE 7 by S. K. Ghosh (2019 SEAOC
convention proceedings).

8  Author: Hemal Mistry, Technical Director, VHPT System, Email: hmistry@vhptsystem.com