Stringer-panel model to support the seismic design and response verification of building diaphragms

Diaphragms are essential structural elements of the earthquake-resisting system in a building. Diaphragms are the building slabs subjected to in-plane forces which are transferred to the vertical elements of the earthquake-resisting system. In-plane forces can arise from inertial loads and from self-equilibrating forces caused by the interaction between elements of the vertical earthquake-resisting system of different stiffness. The analysis and design of diaphragms is one of the most challenging tasks in design of buildings nowadays.