The Torsional Eccentricity of the Structures in Miscellaneous Design Codes

Structures rarely achieve structural symmetry. Even in symmetric structures, the asymmetric position of the structural components tends to produce an effective asymmetric structure. Such an asymmetry even if is small, can produce a torsional response coupled with translational response. In the torsional analysis, the provisions of the seismic norms are based on determining the static eccentricity. In this paper is presented a general way of computing the eccentricity in torsional design. The purpose of this article is to make a comparison of the general rules used to determine the eccentricity and their values. Are taken into account the norms from: Romania, Europe, Japan, Germany and the United States of America.