Optimum structural modelling for tall buildings

It is a common practice to model multi‐storey tall buildings as frame structures where the loads for structural design are supported by beams and columns. Intrinsically, the structural strength provided by the walls and slabs are neglected. As the building height increases, the effect of lateral loads on multi‐storey structures increases considerably. The consideration of walls and slabs in addition to the frame structure modelling shall theoretically lead to improved lateral stiffness. Thus, a more economic structural design of multi‐storey buildings can be achieved. In this research, modelling and structural analysis of a 61‐storey building have been performed to investigate the effect of considering the walls, slabs and wall openings in addition to frame structure modelling. Sophisticated finite element approach has been adopted to configure the models, and various analyses have been performed. Parameters, such as maximum roof displacement and natural frequencies, are chosen to evaluate the structural performance. It has been observed that the consideration of slabs alone with the frame modelling may have negligible improvement on structural performance. However, when the slabs are combined with walls in addition to frame modelling, significant improvement in structural performance can be achieved. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

我国高层建筑结构综述(上)

本文介绍我国高层建筑的发展概况、一些结构体系的特点和适用范围(包括楼板体系)。文中还扼要介绍了高层建筑结构的一些科研成果和设计经验,其中包括:剪力墙的形式及其设计,地震区底层大空间剪力墙结构,框架一剪力墙结构中剪力墙的合理数量及柱截面的选定,楼板变形对高层建筑结构内力的影响,筒体结构的试验研究,高层建筑结构动力特性,高层建筑风荷载体型系数及沿高度分布的研究。     

Studies on various structural system design options for twisted tall buildings and their performances

Employing twisted forms for tall buildings is a recent architectural phenomenon. This paper studies various structural system design options for twisted tall buildings and their performances based on lateral stiffness. Twisted tall buildings of various heights and rates of twist are designed with different types of contemporary tall building structural systems, such as diagrids, braced tubes and outrigger systems. The heights of the studied buildings range from 60 to 100 stories, and the rates of twist range from 0° to 3° per floor. As the rate of twist increases, the lateral stiffness of the tower decreases. The stiffness reduction rate caused by twisting is very much dependent upon the structural systems employed for twisted tall buildings. While an emphasis is placed on the structural performance of twisted tall buildings, other aspects, such as architectural and constructional issues, are also discussed holistically. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A review of the diagrid structural system for tall buildings

Unlike vertical columns of traditional structure, diagrid structural systems for tall buildings have special inclined columns. Due to the inclined columns, a diagrid structural system for tall buildings produces axial force along the column direction under horizontal load, which has the advantage of resisting horizontal wind load and seismic load and gives more freedom to architectural design, so a diagrid structural system for tall buildings becomes an effective new structure style for tall and super‐tall buildings. Theories and tests regarding the diagrid structural system for tall buildings have been intensely researched since the exterior tube of diagrid structural system for tall buildings was first proposed by Torroja in his seminal book. At present, studies for mechanical characteristics, joint form, theories, and tests have been systematized. This paper systematically summarizes existing research achievements of the diagrid structural system for tall buildings and confirms that the structure has larger lateral stiffness and good seismic performance. Based on the favourable performance of concrete‐filled steel tubes, this paper advises the use of concrete‐filled steel tube columns as the columns in diagrid structural systems for tall buildings.     

Nonlinear seismic assessment of irregular coupled wall systems using high‐performance fiber‐reinforced cement composites

Reinforced concrete coupled wall systems that consist of multiple shear walls linked by coupling beams are known to be very effective for resisting lateral loads in high‐rise buildings. As to improving the seismic capacity of coupled wall systems, high‐performance fiber‐reinforced cement composites (HPFRCCs) have been recently considered. These materials are characterized by tension strain‐hardening behavior that can improve the ductility and toughness of structures subjected to reversed cyclic loading. In this study, nonlinear finite element analyses were conducted to investigate the effects of HPFRCCs on the seismic behavior of irregular tall buildings with coupled wall systems. The coupling beams were modeled using moment hinge elements, and the structural walls were modeled using fiber elements. Comparisons between analysis and test results of coupled wall specimens with and without HPFRCCs indicate that the modeling methods used well predict both the overall and local behaviors. The responses of a 56‐story irregular tall building with coupled walls are discussed with focus on the effects of HPFRCCs. It is noted that the use of HPFRCCs in coupling beams and structural walls of one‐fourth height from the base greatly affects the failure mode. For irregular tall buildings, nonlinear response history analysis indicates higher mode effects are critical.     

RC框架-剪力墙结构的框架地震层剪力分配

我国《建筑抗震设计规范》与《高层建筑混凝土结构技术规程》关于框架-剪力墙结构地震层剪力分配的规定是依据设计经验提出来的,并没有考虑框架与剪力墙各自抗侧刚度比值的影响,因而较为笼统,明显欠缺合理性。连续化分析方法中框架-剪力墙结构的刚度特征值是表征框架-剪力墙受力和变形的重要指标。本文采用静力弹塑性分析（Pushover）方法和动力弹塑性时程分析方法对刚度特征值为1.0～4.5的8栋框架-剪力墙结构进行了全过程研究,得到了多遇、基本和罕遇地震作用下不同刚度特征值的框剪结构楼层剪力分配,以及罕遇地震下剪力墙刚度退化对楼层剪力分配的影响,并给出了框架层剪力分配公式供设计参考。     

A generalized method for estimating drifts and drift components of tall buildings under lateral loading

A generalized method for estimating the drifts of tall buildings composed of planar moment‐resisting frames and coupled shear walls under lateral loading is presented. This method establishes the stiffness equations at the story levels by assuming that all the nodes in the same floor of a planar lateral‐force‐resisting unit have an identical lateral displacement, an identical rotation component due to the axial deformations of the columns, and an identical rotation component due to the flexural and shear deformations of the beams. By adopting this simplification, the story drifts contributed by different types of deformations, namely, the axial deformations of the columns or wall piers, the flexural and shear deformations of the beams, and the double‐curvature bending and shear deformations of the columns or wall piers, can be identified. In the formulation of the stiffness matrix, the P‐Delta effects were also incorporated. Through comparisons between the lateral displacements and story drifts computed using the proposed method and those computed using the structural analysis software Midas/Gen, the proposed method is proved to have high accuracy in estimating the drifts of tall building structures.     

The influence of non‐structural components on tall building stiffness

The lateral load resisting system of a multi‐storey building is considered to be an assembly of structural components, such as the structural frame, shear walls, concrete cores, etc. However, in reality, some so‐called ‘non‐structural components (NSCs)’ also play important roles in adding stiffness to the building. To evaluate the contributions from those NSCs and to quantify some of their contributions to the stiffness of the structure under service level loads, this paper reports on the analysis of a lateral load resisting system with different components so that the stiffness contribution from each individual component may be evaluated. Results from finite element analyses are verified by other theoretical calculations. Discussions and conclusions on the performance of both single components and the building system are also provided. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Integrated aerodynamic load determination and stiffness design optimization of tall buildings

Modern tall steel buildings are wind sensitive and are prone to dynamic serviceability problems. Although wind tunnel techniques have emerged as valuable tools in providing reliable prediction of the wind‐induced loads and effects on tall buildings, current design practice normally considers the wind tunnel‐derived loads as constant static design loads. Such practice does not take into account the change in wind‐induced structural loads while the dynamic properties of a building are modified during the design synthesis process. This paper presents a computer‐based technique that couples together an aerodynamic wind tunnel load analysis routine and an element stiffness optimization method to minimize the cost of tall steel buildings subject to the lateral drift design criteria, while allowing for instantaneous prediction and updating of wind loads during the design synthesis process. Results of a full‐scale steel building framework with the same geometric shape of the Commonwealth Advisory Aeronautical Research Council (CAARC) standard building indicate that not only is the proposed technique able to produce the cost‐effective element stiffness distribution of the structure satisfying the serviceability wind drift design criteria, but a potential benefit of reducing the design wind loads can also be achieved by the stiffness optimization method. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

高层建筑楼层侧向刚度变化控制准则的研究

从匀质构件在倒三角形荷载作用下的侧移曲线和位移角出发,提出只要控制以弯曲型变形为主的高层建筑结构在地震作用下的侧移曲线、层间位移角比或楼层侧向刚度比与匀质构件的相应参数接近,结构楼层侧向刚度变化趋于均匀.通过算例论述了目前世界上主要国家的结构抗震设计规范对楼层侧向刚度变化控制的局限性,分别讨论了楼层层高突变、结构部分竖向构件截面突变以及上述两种突变同时出现的情况下,结构楼层侧向刚度以及结构受力特性的变化规律,提出了合理的控制楼层侧向刚度变化准则,该准则可以有效地应用于控制以弯曲型变形为主的高层建筑结构楼层侧向刚度的变化.     

Coupled vibration of tall building structures

Free vibration analysis is presented for general tall building structures, which may consist of any combination of frames, shear walls, structural cores and coupled walls. Emphasis of the analysis is placed on the coupled lateral–torsional vibration characteristic of the structures. Based on the continuum technique and D'Alembert's principle, the governing equation of free vibration and corresponding eigenvalue problem are derived. By applying the Galerkin technique, a generalized method of solution is proposed for the analysis of coupled vibration of general tall building structures. Based on the proposed method, a computation procedure is presented for predicting the natural frequencies and associated mode shapes of the structures in coupled vibration. Numerical investigation is conducted to validate the simplicity and accuracy of the proposed method. It has been shown that the proposed analysis provides an effective way, particularly at the preliminary design stage, for evaluating the vibration behaviour of tall buildings. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Continuous transfer beams supporting in-plane loaded shear walls in tall buildings

The failure mechanism and structural behavior of transfer beams supporting in-plane loaded shear walls have received added emphasis owing to their importance in connection with tall building construction. This paper presents an analysis of and investigation of the structural behavior of two-span transfer beam-shear wall systems in tall buildings. The interaction between the transfer girders and the shear wall has been investigated considering interior and exterior column interaction effects. The upper structural form has a significant effect on the failure mechanism of the transfer girders, which can act as full tension members or behave as ordinary flexural beams. Stress distributions in the shear wall interactive zone are presented. The relevant parameters that significantly influence the force transfer mechanism and structural behavior, such as the span/depth ratio of the transfer beam, the span of the shear wall and the stiffness of the support columns, are highlighted. The present paper provides a very useful reference for the design of continuous transfer girders supporting in-plane loaded shear walls in tall buildings.     

Proposing the hexagrid system as a new structural system for tall buildings

In order to improve the efficiency of tube‐type structures in tall buildings, a new structural system, called hexagrid, is introduced in this paper. In comparison with diagrid system, it consists of multiple hexagonal grids on the face of the building. In this research, a set of structures using diagrid system having four various diagonal angles and hexagrid system were designed on a strength and stiffness‐based approach for buildings with 30, 50, 70 and 90 stories to withstand wind load. The impact of different geometric configurations of structural members on the maximum lateral displacement and architectural performance in both diagrid and hexagrid systems is compared. The stiffness sensitivity using a similar interior bracing system in both systems is also discussed. In this study, the seismic performance of a 30‐story diagrid structure and a hexagrid structure was evaluated using nonlinear static and dynamic analyses. According to the results, the hexagrid system has a better architectural view and more ductility and stiffness sensitivity, which are about three times than that of the diagrid system. And finally, in comparison with the diagrid system, the hexagrid system has enough potential to push the height limit. The guidelines discussed here are for architectural and structural engineers to improve freehand design. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Shear wall layout optimization of tall buildings using Quantum Charged System Search

This paper presents a developed meta-heuristic algorithm to optimize the shear walls of tall reinforced concrete buildings. These types of walls are considered as lateral resistant elements. In this paper, Quantum Charged System Search (QCSS) algorithm is presented as a new optimization method and used to improve the convergence capability of the original Charged System Search. The cost of tall building is taken as the objective function. Since the design of the lateral system plays a major role in the performance of the tall buildings, this paper proposes a unique computational technique that, unlike available works, focuses on structural efficiency or architectural design. This technique considers both structural and architectural requirements such as minimum structural costs, torsional effects, flexural and shear resistance, lateral deflection, openings and accessibility. The robustness of the new algorithm is demonstrated by comparing the outcomes of the QCSS with those of its standard algorithm.     

Interference excitation of twin tall buildings

The enhanced dynamic response of a tall square building under interference excitation from neighbouring tall buildings has been studied in a series of wind-tunnel model tests. In a low-turbulence wind environment and under normal strong wind conditions, the dynamic loads on the upstream of an identical pair of tall buildings may increase by a factor of up to 4.4. The dynamic loads on the downstream building of the pair may increase by a factor of up to 3.2 due to “resonant buffeting”. Measurements of along-wind and cross-wind force spectra and a number of wake spectra provide an explanation for the observed behaviour. Possible excitation mechanisms are discussed and critical building arrangements presented. The large interference loads found in this study indicate that interference excitation should be carefully considered in the design of tall buildings.     

Seismic response of irregular multi-storey buildings with flexible inelastic diaphragms

The effectiveness of rigid floor modelling in the seismic design of multi-storey building structures as well as the influence of some structural parameters are deeply investigated through an extensive parametric study. The nonlinear behaviour of 216 structures has been simulated. The basic structural model consists of a symmetrical two-storey system which is supported by seven lateral load-resisting vertical elements with degrading stiffness properties. Different stiffness and strength distributions in the lateral load resisting system and in the floors are considered. The elastic design analysis is carried out by modelling floors as rigid diaphragms or, alternatively, as flexible beams, while the seismic inelastic analyses take into account the real in-plane stiffness and strength of floors. Diagrams show the behaviour of the most important structural element in detail, while statistical techniques are used to identify the most important structural parameters. The results of this study show that the rigid floor hypothesis generally leads to a conservative design for multi-storey buildings, thus confirming the findings of some previous studies on single-storey building structures. Moreover floors need to be adequately designed for strength when they have re-entrances and the stiffness distributions of the lateral-force resisting system is markedly non-uniform. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic evaluation of a 56‐storey residential reinforced concrete high‐rise building based on nonlinear dynamic time‐history analyses

In recent decades, shear walls and tube structures have been the most appropriate structural forms for the construction of high‐rise concrete buildings. Thus, recent Reinforced Concrete (RC) tall buildings have more complicated structural behaviour than before. Therefore, studying the structural systems and associated behaviour of these types of structures is very important. The main objective of this paper is to study the linear and nonlinear behaviour of one of the tallest RC buildings, a 56‐storey structure, located in a high seismic zone in Iran. In this tower, shear wall systems with irregular openings are utilized under both gravity and lateral loads and may result in some especial issues in the behaviour of structural elements such as shear walls and coupling beams. The analytical methodologies and the results obtained in the evaluation of life‐safety and collapse prevention of the building are also discussed. The weak zones of the structure based on the results are introduced, and a detailed discussion of some important structural aspects of the high‐rise shear wall system with consideration of the concrete time dependency and constructional sequence effects is also included. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Slender reinforced concrete shear walls with high-strength concrete boundary elements

Reinforced concrete structural walls are commonly used for resisting lateral forces in buildings. Owing to the advancements in the field of concrete materials over the past few decades, concrete mixes of high compressive strength, commonly referred to as high-strength concrete (HSC), have been developed. In this study, the effects of strategic placement of HSC on the performance of slender walls were examined. The finite-element model of a conventional normal-strength concrete (NSC) prototype wall was validated using test data available in extant studies. HSC was incorporated in the boundary elements of the wall to compare its performance with that of the conventional wall at different axial loads. Potential reductions in the reinforcement area and size of the boundary elements were investigated. The HSC wall exhibited improved strength and stiffness, and thereby, allowed reduction in the longitudinal reinforcement area and size of the boundary elements for the same strength of the conventional wall. Cold joints resulting from dissimilar concrete pours in the web and boundary elements of the HSC wall were modeled and their impact on behavior of the wall was examined.     

Evaluation of coupling–control effect of a sky‐bridge for adjacent tall buildings

In this study, the coupling–control effect of a sky‐bridge for adjacent tall buildings has been investigated. To this end, two building structures of 42‐ and 49‐stories connected by a sky‐bridge and constructed in the Seoul, Korea, were used. Earthquake excitations and wind load data obtained from wind tunnel tests are employed for numerical simulation. Lead rubber bearings and linear motion bearings were used for the connectors between the sky‐bridge and the example buildings. Several types of connector configurations were investigated to find an appropriate configuration for the tall buildings considered. The displacement and acceleration responses of the coupled buildings, and the reactions of the bearings and member forces of the sky‐bridge were evaluated in comparison with the uncoupled buildings. Numerical results demonstrated that the sky‐bridge could effectively increase the damping ratio of the coupled tall buildings, resulting in decreased dynamic responses. In addition, it was shown that the coupling–control effect of the sky‐bridge could be significantly improved by using additional viscous dampers. The connection system and configuration proposed in this study had been applied to the construction of the sky‐bridge for the example structures. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Detail design,building and commissioning of tall building structural models for experimental shaking table tests

In the areas of seismic engineering, shaking table tests are powerful methods for assessing the seismic capacity of buildings. Since the size and capacity of existing shaking tables are limited, using scale structural models seems to be necessary. In recent years, many experimental studies have been performed using shaking table tests to determine seismic response of structural models subjected to various earthquake records. However, none of the past research works discussed practical procedure for creating the physical model. Therefore, in this study, a comprehensive procedure for design, building and commissioning of scale tall building structural models has been developed and presented for practical applications in shaking table test programmes. To validate the structural model, shaking table tests and numerical time history dynamic analyses were performed under the influence of different scaled earthquake acceleration records. Comparing the numerical predictions and experimental values of maximum lateral displacements, it became apparent that the numerical predictions and laboratory measurements are in a good agreement. As a result, the scale structural model can replicate the behaviour of real tall buildings with acceptable accuracy. It is concluded that the physical model is a valid and qualified model that can be employed for experimental shaking table tests. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.