Parts of a shear wall detail
An RC shear wall has two regions: the boundary zones at the ends, which behave like columns and are confined with closely spaced stirrups, and the web in between. The web has vertical and horizontal bars on both faces, tied together with cross-ties. KNCad makes this distinction automatically and draws the reinforcement of each region separately.
- Vertical and horizontal bars on both faces of the web
- Longitudinal bars and closely spaced stirrups in boundary zones
- Reinforcement continuity at corners and joints
- Mesh layout for walls reinforced with welded mesh
- Starter bar and lap splice information
Cores
Lift and stair cores have L, T, U or closed box sections. KNCad breaks the core down into its parts: flanges, webs and legs are detailed separately, and the joint regions are shown in a single detail. Even a complex core becomes a legible drawing sheet.
Why it matters
Shear walls carry most of the earthquake loads. Properly confining the boundary zones and placing web reinforcement at the correct spacing are decisive for the wall's ductile behavior. The most common problems on site are missing or widely spaced boundary zone stirrups and broken reinforcement continuity at corner joints. For details, see our article on shear wall boundary zones.
FAQ
Which shear wall sections can be drawn?
Rectangular shear walls and L-, T-, U- and box-section cores. Cores are broken down into parts, and each part is drawn with its own reinforcement.