Hello,
For tilt-up concrete shear walls, there is an option in RAM SS to provide gaps between the wall panel joints. If the final constructed tilt-up shear walls are to be stitched together with plates for the purposes engaging the the adjacent panel to reduce overturning effects on the foundation- is providing the gaps between each wall panel still an accurate way of modeling the shear walls? For example, on a 40' tall x 10' wide wall, 3 panel connections would potentially be provided. The root of this question is for calculating fundamental period and base shear: Providing the gaps appears to have a fairly significant effect on the fundamental period on the building (increases fundamental period, reduces base shear).
Thank you in advance for any input.
If you model gaps then the walls are separated, independent. If you don't model the gaps and the walls touch, then they are integrated, solid. If you need some behavior in-between then the only option I can think of is to separate the walls physically and span the separation with a lateral beam.