STRUCTURES: TORSION

Torsion is very common in machines but less common in building structures.  The examples here include a small detail and an entire garage.

1 Door handle 

2 Tuck-under parking

Note: The torsion moment is the product of base shear v and lever arm e, the distance from  center of mass to center of resistance (rear shear wall). In the past, torsion of tuck-under parking was assumed to be resisted by cross shear walls.  However, since the Northridge Earthquake of 1994 where several buildings with tuck-under parking collapsed, such buildings are designed with moment resistant  beam/column joints at the open rear side.