The aim of this study is to evaluate the damaging effects of lateral loads (seismic, wind, ... etc) on high-rise buildings comprising shearwalls coupled by flat slabs including the effect of soil-structure interaction. The inclusion of soil effects in the analysis of a building wider lateral loads is crucial in determining the building behavior. Flat slabs acting as coupling members for shearwalls are vulnerable to damage under high lateral loads such as earthquakes which are cyclic in nature. In order to avoid excessive cracking in the slabs and damage propagation to the shearwalls, designers usually resort to other coupling elements such as stiff drop beams. However, drop beams might not always agree with the architectural and esthetical aspects of a building. It is therefore necessary that some kind of a compromise solution be found between drop beams and slabs. By developing a mathematical model based on the continuum theory, it was possible to combine both solutions, by using mostly slabs as the members coupling the shearwalls and providing drop beams at specific locations along the building height. Due to the cracking that accompanies seismic loading, the method of analysis addresses the strength degradation phenomenon in the superstructure.

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