As all structural engineers familiar with building design know, diaphragms constitute an integral part of the lateral-load resisting system. When the load under consideration is seismic, the diaphragms themselves often constitute a majority of the inertial mass, as well as the means of delivering inertial forces to the vertical elements of the seismic-load resisting system (SLRS).

This article is the second in a two-part series; the first article—which discussed diaphragm forces, classification, and analysis in detail—was printed in the January 2009 issue of Structural Engineer. This article will focus on diaphragm design.

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