Dynamic in-plane racking tests of curtain wall glass elements

Attention has been paid recently to the potentially serious life safety and economic loss issues related to the seismic performance of ‘architectural,’ or ‘non-structural’ building elements such as glass lites in curtain wall systems. In response, a pilot study was undertaken at the University of Missouri-Rolla to investigate the dynamic racking performance of a 15·6 × 12·0 ft (4·56 × 3·68 m) section of curtain wall containing three 5 × 6 ft (1·52 × 1·84 m) glass panels. The curtain wall system was a ‘wide mullion’ design that had generous 1 in (25 mm) clearances between glass edges and the aluminium glazing pocket. Dynamic racking tests were performed totally in plane; no out-of-plane or torsional motions were included. Various types of glass specimens were tested, including annealed, heat-strengthened and fully tempered glass in monolithic and laminated configurations. Dry glazed and two-side structural silicone curtain walls were tested. Test results for dry glazed specimens showed that annealed and heat-strengthened laminated glass experienced no fallout whatsoever. By contrast, annealed monolithic glass experienced frequent fallout in both small and large shards. Fully tempered monolithic glass experienced dicing, which resulted in occasional fallout of entire glass lites. Loss of rigidity in fully tempered laminated glass (when both glass plies were broken) occasionally caused entire lites to fall out. Polyester film (not anchored to the mullions) was applied to annealed monolithic glass; it prevented small shards from falling out, but sometimes contributed to entire lite fallout after the onset of severe glass cracking. Annealed laminated glass units with two-side structural silicone glazing exhibited only very minor glass damage and no glass fallout.     

Blind prediction of in-plane and out-of-plane responses for a thin singly reinforced concrete flanged wall specimen

This paper describes the blind prediction carried out to simulate the response of a thin reinforced concrete wall tested under uni-directional (in-plane) quasi-static reverse cyclic loading. The specimen was a singly reinforced T-shaped wall panel with a shear-span ratio of 3.7. The response of the test specimen was simulated prior to the release of test results using a finite element model which had already been verified for its capabilities in capturing different failure patterns of rectangular walls, particularly out-of-plane instability. The numerical model predicted a flexural dominated response for the specimen accompanied by considerable out-of-plane deformations. The blind prediction report, submitted in advance to the principal investigator of the experimental campaign, included lateral load-top displacement response of the specimen, maximum out-of-plane deformation corresponding to each drift level, evolution of out-of-plane displacements throughout in-plane loading, response of the longitudinal reinforcement at the section exhibiting the maximum out-of-plane deformation, and von Mises as well as reinforcement stress distribution at some key points of the wall response. Furthermore, a parametric study was carried out addressing the effects of shear-span ratio, reinforcement eccentricity and axial load ratio on the wall response. Results of the numerical simulation that had been included in the blind prediction report have been compared with the experimental measurements indicating that the evolution of the out-of-plane deformation was well captured by the model.     

Experimental evaluation of a glass curtain wall of a tall building

The seismic demand parameters including the floor acceleration amplification (FAA) factors and the interstory drift ratios (IDRs) were acquired from the floor response in time history analysis of a tall building subjected to selected ground motions. The FAA factors determined in this way are larger than those given in most current code provisions, but the obtained IDRs are close to the values given in some code provisions. Imposing a series of in‐plane pre‐deformations to two glass curtain wall (CW) specimens mounted on a shaking table, the IDRs were reproduced and the FAA factors were satisfied through applications of computed floor spectra compatible motion time histories, whose peak accelerations corresponded to the FAA factors. The CW specimens performed well during the whole experimental program with almost no change in the fundamental frequencies. No visible damage was observed in the glass panels. The maximum stresses detected in each component of the CW system were smaller than the design strengths. The obtained component acceleration amplification factor approached 3.35, which is larger than the value given in the current code provisions. In conclusion, the performance of the studied CW system is seismically safe. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

混凝土小型空心砌块墙片伪静力试验研究

由于强度、环保、施工方便等多方面的优势,混凝土空心砌块成为粘土砖的最理想的替代材料。不过砌块建筑经历的震害很少,抗震研究的成果也少。针对多层砌块建筑的抗震设计需求,模拟不同楼层压力,对15片1.4m×1.2m的空心混凝土砌块墙片进行了伪静力试验,得到了往复力-位移曲线,可供砌块结构抗震设计参考。     

Cyclic tensile-compressive tests on thin concrete boundary elements with a single layer of reinforcement prone to out-of-plane instability

The growing need for residential housing in Latin American countries has led to the construction of reinforced concrete buildings with wall thicknesses as low as 8–10 cm. Such walls have typically only a single layer of vertical rebars and are therefore particularly susceptible to out-of-plane failure. In order to investigate the response of the corresponding wall boundary elements, twelve reinforced concrete members with a single layer of vertical rebars were tested under tension–compression cycles. The objective was to gain insight into the parameters governing wall instability and out-of-plane failure, namely the thickness, reinforcement ratio, and eccentricity of the longitudinal rebars with respect to the member axis. This paper summarises the results of the test program, where the specimens' response is analysed also at the global and local levels. The results show that the crack pattern has an important influence on the out-of-plane behaviour and the conditions leading to out-of-plane failure are described. Furthermore, the differences between members with a single layer of vertical rebars and members with two layers are discussed. The influence of the parameters considered in the experimental program is addressed, showing that sections with small thickness and large reinforcement content are more prone to out-of-plane failures. Finally, predictions given by existing models are compared to the new experimental data. The entire data set is publicly available.     

Dynamic analysis of sliding structures with unsynchronized support motions

The dynamic analysis of sliding structures is complicated due to the presence of friction. Synchronization of the kinematics of all the isolation bearings is often granted to simplify the task. This, however, may lead to inaccurate prediction of the structural responses under certain circumstances. Stepped structures or continuous bridges with seismic isolation are notable examples where unsynchronized bearing motions are expected. In this paper, a logically simple and numerically efficient procedure is proposed to solve the dynamic problem of sliding systems with unsynchronized support motions. The motion equations for the sliding and non‐sliding modes of the isolated structure are unified into a single equation that is represented as a difference equation in a discrete‐time state‐space form and the base shear forces between the sliding interfaces can be determined through simple matrix algebraic analysis. The responses of the sliding structure can be obtained recursively from the discrete‐time version of the motion equation with constant integration time step even during the transitions between the non‐sliding and sliding phases. Therefore, both accuracy and efficiency in the dynamic analysis of the highly non‐linear system can be enhanced to a large extent. Rigorous assessment of seismic structures with unsynchronized support motions has been carried out for both a stepped structure and a continuous bridge. Effectiveness of friction pendulum bearings for earthquake protection of such structures has been verified. Moreover, evident unsynchronized sliding motions of the friction bearings have been observed, confirming the necessity to deal with each of the bearings independently in the analytical model. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

石材幕墙结构抗震性能试验研究

为研究石材幕墙的抗震性能和破坏特征,以阿尔及利亚大清真寺南区石材幕墙工程为背景,设计了两组1:1振动台试验模型,通过振动台试验研究总结出了石材幕墙结构的地震响应特性,在此基础上,给出了石材幕墙结构动力特性简化模型,并通过引入相应的质量修正系数,得到震损石材幕墙结构自振频率计算公式。研究表明:结构自振频率在挂件和石材出现松动与损伤后逐渐降低;石材加速度响应受挂件位置和尺寸影响较大;石材与挂件之间的间隙增大了石材的加速度响应,但同时也减小了挂件的内力需求。     

陶板幕墙抗震性能振动台试验研究

通过钢框架外挂足尺陶板幕墙模型的振动台实验,研究了陶板幕墙的抗震性能。实验中分别输入El-Centro地震波、人工波及0.5～50Hz的白噪声波。实验结果表明,最大层间位移角为1/237,表明陶板幕墙系统具有良好的抗震性能,符合抗震设计要求。实验过程中,输入同样加速度的El-Centro地震波、人工波后便输入白噪声波,以检测结构自振频率的变化,最后拟合出频率变化曲线,发现当地震加速度达到300Gal以后,结构自振频率基本不再变化。     

滑移摩擦隔震系统在多向地面运动作用下的试验研究

基础隔震通常只考虑隔离水平地面运动，而对竖向地面运动的影响注意不够，本文进行了滑移摩擦隔震系统的振动台房屋模型试验，研究多向地面运动输入时上部结构反应和隔震系统的性能，试验中分别对模型输入了不同方向的地震动，其中包括水平单向、水平双向、水平和竖向及三向地震动输入，对试验结果进行了分析比较，结果表明竖向地震动输入对上部结构的水平地震反应有显著影响，同时在橡胶隔震支座中产生了竖向拉力。     

Application of an in-plane/out-of-plane interaction model for URM infill walls to dynamic seismic analysis of RC frame buildings

Experimental tests have shown that unreinforced masonry (URM) infill walls are affected by simultaneous loading in their in-plane and out-of-plane directions, but there have been few attempts to represent this interaction in nonlinear time history analysis of reinforced concrete (RC) buildings with URM infill walls. In this paper, a recently proposed macro-model that accounts for this interaction is applied to the seismic analysis of RC framed structures with URM infill walls representative of Mediterranean building stock and practices. Two RC framed structures that are representative of low and mid-rise residential buildings are analysed with a suite of a bidirectional ground motions, scaled to three different intensities. During the analyses, the in-plane/out-of-plane interaction is monitored, showing that cracking of the infills occurs predominantly by in-plane actions, while failure occurs due to a combination of in-plane and out-of-plane displacements, with the out-of-plane component usually playing the dominant role. Along the frame height, the bottom storeys are generally the most damaged, especially where thin infill walls are used. These results are consistent with observations of damage to URM infill walls in similar buildings during recent earthquakes.     

Dynamic centrifuge tests of concrete dam

Dynamic tests of a concrete gravity dam are, for the first time, performed inside a centrifuge. Details of the experimental procedure, data interpretation, and results are presented. It is shown (in conjunction with a parallel paper) that these tests cannot only provide a direct assessment of certain aspects of dam safety, but more importantly provide a data base for possible non‐linear finite element code validation. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Dynamic response of a submerged hemispherical shell to earthquake motions

The dynamic response to ground motion of hemispherical shells in a fluid, medium is studied numerically. In the analysis, linear thin shell theory is used and the fluid is assumed to be compressible and inviscid. The effect of the duration of the ground motion on the dynamic response is studied using two forcing functions, one with a very short duration and the other in the form of a Heaviside function. As special cases, dynamic responses of the shell in vacuo and of a rigid hemisphere in the fluid medium are investigated. The results are valid also for a ring-stiffened complete spherical shell accelerating in an acoustic medium.     

Shaking table tests and dynamic analyses of masonry wall buildings with frame-shear walls at lower stories

This paper describes shaking table tests of three eight-story building models： all are masonry structures in the upper stories, with or without frame-shear walls of one- or two- stories at the bottom. The test results of damage characteristics and seismic responses are provided and compared. Then, nonlinear response analyses are conducted to examine the reliability of the dynamic analysis. Finally, many nonlinear response analyses are performed and it is concluded that for relatively hard sites under a certain lateral stiffness ratio （i.e., the ratio of the stiffness of the lowest upper masonry story to that of the frame- shear wall story）, the masonry structure with one-story frame-shear wall at the bottom performs better than a structure built entirely of masonry, and a masonry structure with frame-shear wall of two stories performs better than with one-story frame- shear wall. In relatively soft soil conditions, all three structures have similar performane. In addition, some suggestions that could be helpful for design of masonry structures with ground story of frame-shear wall structure in seismic intensity region VII, such as the appropriate lateral stiffness ratio, shear force increase factor of the frame-shear wall story, and permissible maximum height of the building, are proposed.     

Local effects on RC frames induced by AAC masonry infills through FEM simulation of in-plane tests

Unreinforced masonry infills are widely used in many parts of the world and it is common practice for seismic design to use simplified methods that usually do not take into account the interaction between the infill and the structure. Starting from the 1950s, many researchers have investigated the lateral response of masonry infills focusing on several different topics. The scientific interest on masonry infills is continuously raising due to the unsatisfactory seismic response of the infilled frame structures observed during post-event inspections and to the difficulty to contrive a widely scientifically and practical recognized solution. Although some modern codes consider the presence of infills with some specifications to prevent damage in the masonry panels and global and local effects on the structure, an effective evaluation of these detrimental effects has not been achieved yet. Within this paper, a FEM simulation of in-plane pseudo-static cyclic tests on a RC frame specimen infilled with unreinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (AAC) masonry infill has been performed in order to study accurately the influence and the interaction of the infill with the RC structure. The experimental results performed by Calvi and Bolognini (J Earthq Eng 5:153–185, 1999), and Penna and Calvi (Campagna sperimentale su telai in c.a. con tamponamenti in Gasbeton (AAC) con diverse soluzioni di rinforzo” (in Italian), 2006) on one-bay one-storey full scale specimens are taken as reference. Non-linear static analyses using a “meso-modelling” approach have been carried out. The masonry used in the model has been calibrated according to tests of mechanical characterization and to in-plane cyclic tests on load-bearing AAC masonry conducted by Costa et al. (J Earthq Eng 15:1–31, 2011). The analyses performed have allowed to investigate the local effects on the frame and, in particular, the changes in the moment and shear demands on the RC elements due to the presence of the AAC infill in comparison with the ones in the bare structure, and to estimate the thrust and the contact length activated by the infill on the frame.     

Out-of-plane shaking table tests of full-scale historic adobe corner walls retrofitted with timber elements

Historic adobe structures pose a high seismic risk mainly because of the poor out-of-plane bending response of their walls that may produce fatalities and significant economic, cultural, and heritage losses. In this paper, we propose a retrofitting technique that increases the wall strength for both in-plane and out-of-plane directions. This technique consists of vertical and horizontal timber elements symmetrically installed on each face of the wall to form a confining wood frame, supplemented with vertical tensors that pre-compress the wall. This study evaluates the performance of this retrofitting technique with a two-set experimental program on full-scale historic adobe walls. On the first set, four specimens were subjected to a static overturning test with boundary conditions representing the confinement effect at both ends by orthogonal walls. On the second set, three full-scale specimens, one unretrofitted and two retrofitted, were subjected to four ground motion records on a shaking table to assess the out-of-plane dynamic behavior of typical corner walls. The unretrofitted specimen collapsed during the second motion (peak ground acceleration [PGA] = 0.39 g), while both retrofitted walls survived all four motions (maximum PGA of 0.75 g) proving the high effectiveness of the proposed retrofitting. The addition of base anchors as a variation of the retrofitting technique significantly reduced the rocking effects and the residual drifts of the system, thus improving its overall seismic performance. Further research is needed to develop guidelines for seismic retrofit of heritage buildings including multistory full-scale tests of specimens with various types of openings and retrofitting strategies that minimize their architectural impact.     

Shaking table tests and numerical analyses of an RC coupled wall structure with replaceable coupling beams

The replaceable coupling beam (RCB) is an innovative structural component developed to increase the seismic resilience of reinforced concrete (RC) shear wall structures. In this study, two 1/5‐scale 5‐story 3‐dimensional RC shear wall structures—one with conventional RC coupling beams and the other with RCBs—were designed, constructed, and tested on a shaking table. The failure pattern, dynamic properties, and structural responses, including the acceleration, displacement, story force, and strain responses, of the 2 structures are compared under earthquake excitations. The test results demonstrate that the seismic performance of the structure with RCBs was improved when RCBs were working compared with the structure with conventional RC coupling beams. In addition, the replaceable devices suffering the severe damage during an earthquake can be conveniently replaced after the earthquake. However, after the sudden failure of RCBs during the severe earthquakes, the inter‐story drift and floor acceleration of the structure with RCBs became larger. The design and manufacture quality of RCBs should be improved to avoid the sudden failure. Then, numerical models for the test structures were established using the commercial software PERFORM‐3D. Numerical simulations of the tests were conducted. The simulation results correspond well with the experimental results, thus verifying the accuracy of the numerical models. The RC shear wall structure installed with RCBs can be applied as a new type of earthquake‐resilient structure in engineering practice.     

Shaking table tests and dynamic analyses of masonry wall buildings with flame-shear walls at lower stories

This paper describes shaking table tests of three eight-story building models: all are masonry structures in the upper stories, with or without frame-shear walls of one- or two- stories at the bottom. The test results of damage characteristics and seismic responses are provided and compared. Then, nonlinear response analyses are conducted to examine the reliability of the dynamic analysis. Finally, many nonlinear response analyses are performed and it is concluded that for relatively hard sites under a certain lateral stiffness ratio (I.e., the ratio of the stiffness of the lowest upper masonry story to that of the frame-shear wall story), the masonry structure with one-story frame-shear wall at the bottom performs better than a structure built entirely of masonry, and a masonry structure with frame-shear wall of two stories performs better than with one-story frame-shear wall. In relatively soft soil conditions, all three structures have similar performane. In addition, some suggestions that could be helpful for design ofmasomy structures with ground story of frame-shear wall structure in seismic intensity region VII, such as the appropriate lateral stiffness ratio, shear force increase factor of the frame-shear wall story, and permissible maximum height of the building, are proposed.     

含型钢边缘构件混合连肢墙结构抗震性能试验研究

为研究含型钢边缘构件混合连肢墙结构的抗震性能,进行了1个5层1/3缩尺模型试件低周反复加载试验.模型试件的耦连比为30％,根据底部剪力法采用三质点倒三角形加载形式.通过分析试件在循环荷载作用下的破坏形态、滞回曲线、刚度退化、延性及结构的耗能能力等,得到结构的破坏机理,并对结构抗震性能进行了评价.试验结果表明:该结构体系通过钢连梁的剪切变形和墙肢底部的塑性铰变形来耗散能量,能够明显改善钢筋混凝土双肢剪力墙的抗震性能;但是耦连比为30％时,墙肢混凝土裂缝较为集中,破坏主要出现在底部两层,建议提高耦连比进行进一步研究.     

A new attenuation model of near-fault ground motions with consideration of the hanging wall effect in the Wenchuan earthquake

The hanging wall effect is an important factor that impacts the characteristics of strong ground motions in near-fault areas. Based on a residual analysis of ground motion parameters characterizing the hanging wall effect and in recognition of the nature of the effect, many models have been developed. In this study, after a comprehensive analysis of two existing models, a new model is proposed and used to model the hanging wall effect in horizontal peak ground acceleration (PGAH) and spectral acceleration (SAH) at a period of 0.1s in the Wenchuan earthquake. Finally, comparisons between the modeling results of the hanging wall effect in the Wenchuan earthquake and the results predicted by using Abrahamson and Silva’s NGA model (AS NGA) indicate that the AS NGA model predicts a much higher hanging wall effect than the model developed in this paper. Furthermore, the AS NGA model predicts a large hanging wall effect even at great distances, while the proposed model more accurately captures the trend of the effect.