Diaphragms With End Horizontal Offsets - The Analysis of Irregular Shaped Structures - page 85

F i g u r e 3.2 Notched diaphragm terminology.
key role in showing how the shears are distributed through the diaphragm. A complete
description of this method is presented in the following section.
To successfully solve the problem of transferring forces through discontinuous load
paths, it is important to understand how shears are distributed into and out of a simple
diaphragm. Diekmann 1 and Kula 2 both demonstrated in their presentations and exam-
ples that a visual representation of how shears are transferred from the sheathing into
boundary members and collectors is critical to solving and understanding complex dia-
phragms. As discussed in Chap. 2, this is accomplished by the use of sheathing elements
and transfer shears. Figure 3.3 represents a simple diaphragm loaded in the transverse
direction. The basic shear diagram is drawn below the diaphragm plan. The left half of
the diagram is in positive shear, and the right half is in negative shear. Sheathing element
symbols are placed below the basic shear diagram, which shows the direction of shears