Introduction
In PERFORM, coupling beams for shear walls can be modeled using Frame elements or Wall elements. This note considers some of the modeling issues and suggests methods for modeling coupling beams.
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A coupling beam of any depth can be modeled using either Frame or Wall elements. Although it can require more initial effort to use Frame elements, they have the advantage that they give you better control over the properties of the analysis model. Wall elements can be simpler to use, but their behavior is less certain, and possibly inaccurate.