Comparative Seismic Performance of Reinforced Concrete Buildings with Different Shear Wall Configurations

Earthquakes are among the most destructive natural hazards, posing significant threats to the structural stability, safety, and serviceability of buildings. Reinforced concrete (RC) buildings are widely used in modern construction; however, their seismic performance largely depends on structural configuration, lateral load-resisting systems, and the distribution of stiffness and strength. Shear walls play a crucial role in enhancing the earthquake resistance of reinforced concrete structures by providing additional lateral stiffness, strength, and energy dissipation capacity. The present study investigates the comparative seismic performance of reinforced concrete buildings incorporating different shear wall configurations, including centrally located shear walls, corner shear walls, perimeter shear walls, core shear walls, and symmetrical and unsymmetrical arrangements. The primary objective is to identify the most effective shear wall configuration for minimizing earthquake-induced structural responses and improving overall building stability.

The proposed research considers analytical modelling and numerical simulation of multistorey reinforced concrete buildings using structural analysis software such as ETABS or SAP2000. Various structural configurations are evaluated under seismic loading conditions using response spectrum analysis and, where appropriate, nonlinear time-history analysis in accordance with relevant seismic design provisions. Key performance parameters include fundamental natural time period, base shear, storey displacement, inter-storey drift, torsional response, storey stiffness, and overall structural stability. Comparative evaluation is conducted to understand how the location, orientation, and arrangement of shear walls influence the distribution of seismic forces and the deformation characteristics of buildings.