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.     

Practical modelling of high‐rise dual systems with reinforced concrete slab‐column frames

This paper discusses practical modelling issues pertinent to the design of an irregularly shaped reinforced concrete (RC) high‐rise building currently under development in New York City. The structure analysed consists of a 60‐storey residential tower and a 25‐storey hotel building structurally connected to each other. For the seismic force resistance, a dual system combining ordinary RC shear walls and intermediate slab–column moment frames was used at the upper portion, while a building frame system of ordinary RC shear walls was used at the lower portion of the structure. A variety of models were used to simulate the behaviour of various elements of the structure, with special attention given to overall systemic effects of different member stiffnesses considered to account for distinct stress levels under service and ultimate loads. The models used for slab–column frames and shear walls were verified by comparing with other available models or laboratory tests. The in‐plane flexibility of floor diaphragms at the interface between the two substructures with different geometries was simulated to identify the most critical wind conditions for each structural member. Finally, building dynamic analyses were performed to demonstrate the modelling issues to be considered for the lateral force design of irregular high‐rise buildings. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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.     

A global approach for three‐dimensional analysis of tall buildings

In the literature, several approximate approaches have been proposed to analyse the lateral loading distribution of external loads in high‐rise buildings; in this paper, a general method is proposed for the analysis of the lateral loading distribution of three‐dimensional structures composed of any kind of bracings (frames, framed walls, shear walls, closed and/or open thin‐walled cores and tubes) under the customary assumption of floor slabs being undeformable in their planes. This general formulation allows analyses of high‐rise structures by taking into account the torsional rigidity of the elements composing the building without gross simplifications, even in the case of very complex shapes and with the contemporary presence of different kinds of bracing. The method is aimed at gaining an insight into the force flow in the structure, in order to understand how the building response is governed by decisive structural parameters and to compare preliminary calculations with other approaches such as the structural finite element analysis. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Design and behaviour of a reinforced concrete high‐rise tube building with belt walls

This paper discusses modelling, analysis and design issues for a 55‐storey hotel building recently planned for New York City, USA. The lateral force resistance of the investigated building primarily makes use of exterior reinforced concrete shear walls in one direction and exterior reinforced concrete moment frames in the other direction, in which tube action credited to the connection of the walls and frames was designed to play a significant role in the lateral stiffness and strength. In addition, a full‐storey belt wall system, enclosing the entire perimeter of the building at approximately the mid‐height, is expected to provide a considerable contribution to the lateral force resistance. In this paper, the contribution of tube action and the belt wall system to structural behaviour is investigated in terms of quantitative measures such as lateral drift, building dynamic properties and flange frame contribution to overturning moment resistance. In addition, axial force distribution among the various vertical members under lateral forces is discussed for each of the two principal building directions. Finally, the seismic behaviour of the investigated building is qualitatively discussed in order to propose a seismic force‐resisting system classification into which this concrete tube system would fit. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An empirical relationship to determine lateral seismic response of mid‐rise building frames under influence of soil–structure interaction

In this study, to determine the elastic and inelastic structural responses of mid‐rise building frames under the influence of soil–structure interaction, three types of mid‐rise moment‐resisting building frames, including 5‐storey, 10‐storey and 15‐storey buildings are selected. In addition, three soil types with the shear wave velocities less than 600 m/s, representing soil classes C_e, D_e and E_e according to AS 1170.4–2007 (Earthquake action in Australia, Australian Standards), having three bedrock depths of 10 m, 20 m and 30 m are adopted. The structural sections are designed after conducting nonlinear time history analysis, on the basis of both elastic method and inelastic procedure considering elastic‐perfectly plastic behaviour of structural elements. The frame sections are modelled and analysed, employing finite difference method adopting FLAC2D software under two different boundary conditions: (a) fixed base (no soil–structure interaction) and (b) considering soil–structure interaction. Fully nonlinear dynamic analyses under the influence of different earthquake records are conducted, and the results in terms of the maximum lateral displacements and base shears for the above mentioned boundary conditions for both elastic and inelastic behaviours of the structural models are obtained, compared and discussed. With the results, a comprehensive empirical relationship is proposed to determine the lateral displacements of the mid‐rise moment‐resisting building frames under earthquake and the influence of soil–structure interaction. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

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。     

Shrinkage stress analysis of concrete slabs in a multi‐storey building considering internal and external restraints

Shrinkage strains of concrete slabs in a multi‐storey building are restrained internally by reinforcement bars as well as externally by supporting members such as columns or walls. These strains may induce tensile stresses in concrete members and lead to cracks due to excessive shrinkage stress. In this study, a practical shrinkage stress analysis method for application to concrete slabs in a multi‐storey building is proposed. The proposed approach considers both internal restraint of reinforcement bars and external restraint variations resulting from construction sequence. The shrinkage stress due to external restraint is obtained by multiplying the relaxation coefficient by the elastic shrinkage stress. The additional shrinkage stress due to internal restraint is obtained by the residual strain calculated via a linear elastic analysis for external restraints. A verification example was comparatively analysed using the proposed method and a commercially available analysis program that is capable of time‐dependent analysis of concrete. The results of a 10‐storey sample building suggest that the internal restraint due to reinforcement considerably increases the shrinkage stress at slabs under loose external restraint. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Son, Ltd.     

The structural performance of monolithic intersecting walls in a tall reinforced concrete building

Results of the seismic performance assessment of a new structural system that has been used in a 54‐story reinforced concrete building are presented. The structure, which is still under construction, and has a ‘Y‐shape’ form, utilizes a special structural system that does not include any beams or columns. Instead, walls and slabs are used for carrying both gravitational and lateral loads. The general distinctions of the system are discussed. The structural efficiency of the system is compared with other conventional systems in some existing tall buildings. The seismic responses and dynamic behavior of the structure that were achieved by conducting various analyses are presented. The effects of analysis method, as well as some other parameters such as modeling assumptions and bidirectional earthquake excitation on the linear responses, are studied. The influence of the number of modes and design spectrum on the spectral analysis results is discussed. Using dynamic analysis, the real heightwise distribution of lateral loads occurring during an earthquake is presented. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

底部两层框架-抗震墙砖房侧移刚度分析和第三层与第二层侧移刚度比的合理取值

探讨了底部两层框架抗震墙砖房中底部两层层间侧移刚度的简化计算方法,分析指出了计算第二层侧移刚度采用的层间位移应扣除钢筋砼墙在第一层楼板处转角产生的侧移。给出了底部两层框架抗震墙砖房第三层与第二层侧移刚度比的合理取值为１．２～２．０,并且不应小于１．０,供设计人员参考。     

Coupled shear‐flexural model for dynamic analysis of fixed‐base tall buildings with tuned mass dampers

An equivalent discrete model is developed for time domain dynamic analysis of uniform high‐rise shear wall‐frame buildings with fixed base and carrying any number of tuned mass dampers (TMDs). The equivalent model consists of a flexural cantilever beam and a shear cantilever beam connected in parallel by a finite number of axially rigid members that allow the consideration of intermediate modes of lateral deformation. The proposed model was validated by a building whose lateral resisting system consists of a combination of shear walls and braced frames. The results showed the effectiveness of TMDs to reduce the peak displacements, interstory drift ratio, and accelerations when the building is subjected to a seismic load. The root mean square accelerations due to along‐wind loads also decrease if TMDs are attached to the building.     

Identification of the mode shapes of spatial tall multi‐storey buildings due to earthquakes: the new ‘modal time‐histories’ method

In the present article, a new method is presented which attempts to identify the dynamic characteristics (eigen frequencies, eigen periods, mode shapes and modal damping ratios) of spatial asymmetric tall multi‐storey buildings through measured seismic responses (accelerations). This new method is entitled ‘method of modal time‐histories’, because its main target is to identify the modal time‐histories of accelerations that are obtained by accelerograms recorded on the points of buildings where suitable accelerometers have been installed. In the case of an earthquake, the multi‐channel local network of accelerometers records the time‐histories of the accelerations of the building. In addition, in order to have a successful outcome, the instrumentation form of the multi‐channel local network on the building can potentially play the most important role. This paper, first, presents a relevant mathematical analysis that is adapted to the instrumentation form applied to the multi‐storey buildings and, second, outlines the new method, which consists of nine steps. Finally, in order to illustrate the theory, a suitable numerical example of an instrumented asymmetric five‐storey r/c building that has been oscillated by a weak earthquake is also provided. On the one hand, the identification of the dynamic characteristics of spatial asymmetric buildings contributes to the removal of the uncertainties of building models in order to perform advanced non‐linear analyses about inherent building seismic capacity. On the other hand, this method supports the simple monitoring of a building's ‘structural integrity’. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Coupled‐two‐beam discrete model for dynamic analysis of tall buildings with tuned mass dampers including soil–structure interaction

An equivalent coupled‐two‐beam discrete model is developed for time‐domain dynamic analysis of high‐rise buildings with flexible base and carrying any number of tuned mass dampers (TMDs). The equivalent model consists of a flexural cantilever beam and a shear cantilever beam connected in parallel by a finite number of axially rigid members that allows the consideration of intermediate modes of lateral deformation. The equivalent model is applied to a shear wall–frame building located in the Valley of Mexico, where the effects of soil–structure interaction (SSI) are important. The effects of SSI and TMDs on the dynamic properties of the shear wall–frame building are shown considering four types of soil (hard rock, dense soil, stiff soil, and soft soil) and two passive damping systems: a single TMD on its top (1‐TMD) and five uniformly distributed TMDs (5‐TMD). The results showed a great effectiveness of the TMDs to reduce the lateral seismic response and along‐wind response of the shear wall–frame building for all types of soils. Generally speaking, the dynamic response increases as the flexibility of the foundation increases.     

Integrated wind‐induced response analysis and design optimization of tall steel buildings using Micro‐GA

This paper presents an integrated procedure for wind‐induced response analysis and design optimization for rectangular steel tall buildings based on the random vibration theory and automatic least cost design optimization technique using Micro‐Genetic Algorithm (GA). The developed approach can predict wind‐induced drift and acceleration responses for serviceability design of a tall building; the technique can also provide an optimal resizing design of the building under wind loads to achieve cost‐efficient design. The empirical formulas of wind force spectra obtained from simultaneous measurements of surface pressures on various rectangular tall building models in wind tunnel tests are verified testified using a published example. Upon the known wind force spectra, the equivalent static wind loads for every storey, such as along‐wind, across‐wind and torsional loads, are then determined and applied for structural analysis including estimation of wind‐induced responses. An improved form of GAs, a Micro‐GA, is adopted to minimize the structural cost/weight of steel buildings subject to top acceleration and lateral drifts constraints with respect to the discrete design variables of steel section sizes. The application and effectiveness of the developed integrated wind‐induced response analysis and design optimization procedure is illustrated through a 30‐storey rectangular steel building example. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lateral stiffness characteristics of tall reinforced concrete buildings under service loads

This paper presents an analytical method for quantitatively predicting the effects of cracking on the lateral deflection and stiffness characteristics of tall reinforced concrete buildings under service loads. The effects of cracking in tall reinforced concrete buildings can be considered using an element stiffness reduction model. This model determines the probability of cracking occurrence by dividing the area of the moment diagram, S_cr, where the working moment exceeds the cracking moment by the total area of the moment diagram, S. A practical cracking analysis method can be established by integrating the proposed stiffness reduction model with an iterative algorithm and commercial linear finite element analysis package. The proposed method has been validated by good agreement of results between the numerical computation and experimental testing of large‐scale rigid‐frame and wall‐frame structural sub‐assemblages. The effectiveness of the numerical analysis method is also illustrated through a practical 40‐storey reinforced concrete building example. The cracking effects on the lateral deflection and stiffness characteristics of this building were analysed both explicitly and quantitatively. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Experimental and numerical investigations of axially loaded RC walls restrained on three sides

Axially loaded reinforced concrete (RC) walls in tilt‐up structures can be supported top and bottom only by floors or roof structures. However, RC walls are often combined to form I‐, C‐, T‐, and L‐shapes to make efficient use of the building area in multi‐storey buildings. With these configurations, walls may also be laterally supported on either or both sides by interconnecting walls. While many researchers have investigated the behaviours of RC walls, either in one‐way action or two‐way action supported on four sides with and without openings, limited research has been conducted on two‐way action walls supported on three sides (TW3S). As such, this paper experimentally and numerically investigates the behaviour of TW3S walls. Details of the 12 half‐scale walls tested, including experimental setup, failure loads, crack patterns, and load‐deflection characteristics, are reported. In addition, the Finite Element Method using ABAQUS software for investigating the behaviour of TW3S walls is described in detail. Finally, due to the conservative nature of code design equations and there being limited available methods for predicting the ultimate load of TW3S walls with openings, a rigid‐plastic approach has been proposed in this study to evaluate the failure load of TW3S walls.     

框支和梁支组合墙体的抗侧承载力及刚度

位于框架梁上和由纵向梁承托的横向组合墙体,由于梁的变形而使墙体的抗侧承载力及刚度均有不同程度的降低,这对底层框剪和底层大开间上部小开间组合墙体房屋的抗震性能将带来影响。本文研究了这些二、三层横向组合墙体的强度和刚度变化情况,并分析了其中的主要影响因素。     

Design and specification compilation of a modular‐prefabricated high‐rise steel frame structure with diagonal braces part II: Elastic–plastic time‐history analysis and joint design

The use of modular‐prefabricated steel structures has distinct advantages, such as rapid construction, industrial production, and environmental protection. Although this type of structure has been extensively employed around the world, it is primarily used for low‐rise buildings; its application in high‐rise buildings is limited. This paper proposes a new type of modular‐prefabricated high‐rise steel frame structure with diagonal braces. An elastic–plastic time‐history analysis of a 30‐storey building during rare earthquakes was performed. The base shear, storey drift, stress, damage characteristics, and other performances of the structure were investigated. According to the mechanism analysis, finite element simulation, and model test, the formulas for the elastic and elastic–plastic design of the truss–column connection, column–column flange connection, and diagonal brace–truss connection are proposed in this paper. The control parameters for the structural design are also discussed. This study provides an important reference for the research and design of this type of modular‐prefabricated high‐rise steel structure. The design method has been compiled into a design specification named Technical Specifications for Prefabricated Steel Frame Structure with Diagonal Bracing Joints, which is unique for this type of structure.     

Testing facility for experimental evaluation of non‐structural components under full‐scale floor motions

The seismic vulnerability of non‐structural components and equipment with their expensive recovery and/or replacement costs has been demonstrated during past earthquakes. With the exception of the nuclear industry, the limited data collected from past earthquakes are not sufficient to completely characterize the seismic behaviour of non‐structural components and to develop effective mitigation measures. To address these limitations, the University at Buffalo has commissioned a dedicated non‐structural component simulator (University at Buffalo non‐structural component simulator (UB‐NCS)) composed of a two‐level testing frame capable of simultaneously subjecting both displacement and acceleration‐sensitive non‐structural components to realistic full‐scale floor motions expected within multi‐storey buildings. Current codes now require seismic qualification of important non‐structural components, and protocols for experimental qualification have been developed considering existing laboratory limitations. The new testing capabilities provided by the UB‐NCS are described to demonstrate the improved and more realistic qualification procedures that can be achieved. Results are presented from a test on two parallel partition walls aimed to verify the capabilities of the UB‐NCS. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A proposal for the classification of structural systems of tall buildings

In the early structures at the beginning of the 20th century, structural members were assumed to carry primarily the gravity loads. Today, however, by the advances in structural design/systems and high-strength materials, building weight is reduced, and slenderness is increased, which necessitates taking into consideration mainly the lateral loads such as wind and earthquake. Understandably, especially for the tall buildings, as the slenderness, and so the flexibility increases, buildings suffer from the lateral loads resulting from wind and earthquake more and more. As a general rule, when other things being equal, the taller the building, the more necessary it is to identify the proper structural system for resisting the lateral loads. Currently, there are many structural systems that can be used for the lateral resistance of tall buildings. In this context, authors classify these systems based on the basic reaction mechanism/structural behavior for resisting the lateral loads.