Problem Description

Shear design of wall design groups per ACI 318 is performed by designing each individual section cut segment individually. This is in contrast to axial-flexure design, which is based on a series of section cuts that are assumed to behave as a group. Refer to the RAM Concrete Shear Wall for more discussion.

The calculated shear capacity is calculated using the resultant axial force in all section cuts in a series and not on the resultant axial force in the individual segment. For example, the program completes a separate shear design for section cuts SC1H:4A, SC1H:4B, and SC1H:4C in the image below. The required shear strength (Vu) is calculated as the resultant shear forces across each of the individual segments. However, the nominal shear strength provided by the concrete (Vc) is calculated using the resultant axial force over all three section cuts instead of the resultant force in each individual section. This may lead to an unconservative design.

Solution

We are working on a fix for this issue.