Building Structure System Research Articles

Nonlinear Behavior Study of Reinforced Concrete Coupling Beams Subjected to the Effect of Wind Loading

Reinforced concrete shear walls connected by coupling beams are considered an efficient structural system for tall buildings subjected to lateral loads. For seismic design of such buildings, performance-based design has been commonly used in regions with strong earthquakes for its ability to achieve economical and safe design, however the use of performance-based wind design (PBWD), which permits nonlinear response of ductile elements at specific locations under wind loads is still hindered due to the lack of information regarding the performance of these elements. In addition to that, there is still a need for developing an analytical model that can represent nonlinear behavior of these elements when subjected to wind loads. Therefore, in this study two analytical models using two different methods to consider bond slip effect (Bond SP01 (BS) model and steel modification factor (SMF) model) were developed and implemented in OpenSees software and validated with a tested specimen of reinforced concrete coupling beam subjected to a simulated windstorm loading protocol. Then, a parametric study was conducted using the SMF model to investigate the effect of axial restraint, and modification of the ductility demand. Results showed that both of the models showed good agreement with the experiment, however results of the SMF model were more accurate. As for the parametric study, it was concluded that with axial restraint, the beam behavior was dominated by shear, and a slight increase of strength was observed. At ductility demand of 1.8 θ y , the beam performed well with no significant damage and minor residual rotations.

Environmental impact assessment of residential building structural systems: A case study in Saudi Arabia

Environmental impact assessment of residential building structural systems: A case study in Saudi Arabia

Innovative Structural Systems for Timber Buildings: A Comprehensive Review of Contemporary Solutions

The remarkable development of timber construction technologies in recent decades has led to an increase in the number of timber buildings worldwide, including multi-storey buildings. The design of timber buildings, especially those of greater height, is relatively demanding and, even in the context of architectural expression, has certain constraints due to the specific structural and physical properties of this material. Thus, it is important for designers to have an overview of existing timber structural systems and their specificities to be able to make the right design decisions during the design process. Unfortunately, there is a lack of scientific literature that systematically addresses the essential features of contemporary timber structural systems. Within the aims of this paper to provide the systematic review of contemporary structural systems, both the scientific and professional literature are comprehensively reviewed. This paper presents a systematic classification and description of the following structural systems of timber buildings: all-timber and hybrid timber structural systems with an additional description of constituent structural elements, while examples of completed multi-storey timber buildings are also given for each structural system. The findings provide a broader view of the knowledge of contemporary solutions of timber structural systems and their application, thus representing a novelty in the field of timber construction review.

Collapse risk-targeted seismic design of concrete-filled steel tube frame-RC core tube structures

The concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) frame-reinforced concrete (RC) core tube composite structure is a widely-used structural system of high-rise buildings due to its high compressive strength, good plasticity, and convenient construction. The cross-sectional dimensions and bending stiffness of CFST frames are smaller than those of RC frames with the same vertical load-bearing capacity. Since the seismic forces are distributed in proportion to stiffness for components, the assigned seismic forces of CFST frames are smaller, which may result in CFST frames not meeting the minimum load-bearing capacity requirement for the frame part in a dual system. If the CFST frame-core tube structure is designed adopting the dual system seismic design method which is applicable to RC frame-core tube structure, forcefully increasing the design seismic force of the frame, this will significantly increase the amount of material consumed and reduce the available area of the building. In this study, the CFST frame-RC core tube structure is designed according to different seismic design methods and compared through incremental dynamic analysis-based (IDA) fragility analysis. Then, an improved collapse risk-targeted seismic design method is proposed. The study results indicate that the structure designed according to the proposed method can achieve the excellent collapse resistance capacity, low collapse probability, and less material cost, which may provide a reference for seismic design of CFST frame-RC core tube composite structures.

Development of a high-performance blast energy-absorbing system for building structures

Shock absorbers have been widely used in the automotive and aeronautical industries for many years. Inspired on these devices, the paper presents an analytical and numerical assessment of a high performance protective system for building structures against blast loads, which is composed of a shielding element connected to the main structure, at the floor levels, through ductile Energy Absorbing Connectors (EACs). The EACs exploit the external tube inversion mechanism to absorb a significant part of the imparted kinetic energy from the blast wave. While the system prototype has been developed in laboratory, it was characterized and tested in a full-scale blast testing campaign. A validated finite element model was used next to analyze its performance in a more demanding design scenario. The introduction of EACs notably reduces the peak horizontal loads and the kinetic energy transferred to the protected structure, being expected a significant reduction of the stresses in the supporting vertical elements, in addition to the protection of structural and non-structural members. These results encourage further studies of the presented protective system that can be potentially employed for a large variety of blast threat scenarios, especially when increasing the stand-off is not a possible/viable option and sensitive facilities have to be protected.

Features of design and calculations of complex reinforced concrete frames of buildings

The article considers and systematizes the load-bearing structural systems of buildings with complex space-planning configurations, taking into account design solutions, structural loading and stress states. The features of the perception of loads and their rational distribution between the structural elements of frame buildings with complex space-planning solutions are analyzed. The main structural schemes of complex frames, schemes of their deformations and plots of moments under the influence of vertical and horizontal loads are introduced. The paper reflects the modern practice of preliminary approximate calculations of the approximate dimensions of the sections of frame structures of frame buildings for the possibility of further collecting loads and performing refined calculations using modern calculation software systems.
 The proposed method for modeling the nature of the work of complex frames of frame buildings and coordinating their space-planning, design and calculation systems will be useful for researchers, architects and design engineers during the design of new types of buildings, taking into account their operation under emergency conditions.

Influence of outrigger truss system on the seismic fragility of super high-rise braced mega frame-core tube structure

The braced mega frame-core tube (BMFCT) structure is an efficient seismic structural system for super high-rise buildings of over 500 m high. The outrigger truss (OT) system has become a commonly adopted design option for the super high-rise BMFCT structure, however, its influence on the seismic performance is not clear. In this study, the seismic responses and collapse risks of the 590-m-high BMFCT structures with and without OT system were analyzed. An efficient elasto-plastic modeling method was introduced to establish the accurate FE models. Based on the incremental dynamic analysis-based (IDA) fragility analysis, the deformation responses, energy dissipations, collapse risks and collapse resistance capacities, etc. were researched. The results indicate the average top displacements under earthquakes of ‘one-degree-higher’ rare intensities are reduced by the OT from 1286.51 mm to 1348.31 mm by 4.6%. The OT system can effectively limit the story drift ratios of the BMFCT under earthquakes with the lower intensity. With the increasing seismic intensity, the OT presents an unfavorable effect on the lateral deformations. The OT system increases the proportion of damping energy dissipation from 68.28% to 70.24%, and decreases that of plastic deformation energy dissipation from 20.74% to 20.12%, both by less than 2%. The OT system causes the slope of IDA curves to rise first and then fall, which is the opposite of that without OT. The OT system is detrimental to the structural collapse resistance capacity, reducing the collapse margin ratio from 8.46 to 7.41 by about 14%. The OT's function can effectively reduce the cross-sectional dimensions of main components and ensure the architectural functionality and view-transparency. In the seismic design of BMFCT structures, the OT system should be given more attention, especially in the earthquakes stronger than rare intensity, and recommended to be designed to meet the basic structural stiffness requirement and not to provide excessive lateral stiffness resistance.

Resilience and Systems—A Building Structure Case Example

The resilience of building structures—as plain technical/physical/engineering systems or complex sociotechnical systems exposed to perturbations and change—has become increasingly important as natural disasters are on the rise and the world is changing rapidly. Existing resilience frameworks are focused mainly on the responses of building systems to perturbation events and their functional recovery, while change appears to be left out. This study applies the resilience system interpretation framework, which defines resilience in a cross-disciplinary environment as adaptation and adaptive systems, to analyze actual and conceptual building structure systems. The system framework, using modern control systems theory, defines resilience as the ability of the system state and form to return to their initial or other suitable states or forms through passive and active feedback mechanisms. A sample SMRF office building structure system is utilized to simulate the system state and form return abilities that are demonstrated by the system functional recovery time and functional recovery curve shape, respectively. This novel understanding of resilience accommodates a holistic and systematic integration of both perturbation and change in the portfolios of various building structures. The framework also provides a practical roadmap for resilience design and building of structures that effectively respond to perturbation while dynamically adapting to change in order to avoid obsolescence, as well as to increase the building’s useful life.

Indoor Fire Simulation in Low-Rise Teaching Buildings Based on BIM–FDS

School buildings gather a large number of underage students, and the disastrous consequences of fire in such buildings are very serious, which is one of the key concerns of society in fire prevention and control. This study takes a “[” type kindergarten teaching building as the background and constructs a BIM–FDS building fire simulation model to reveal the fire smoke dispersion law under the coupling of the typical building structure and fire protection systems. The results show that the stairwells on both sides of the “[” type building are the main channels for the diffusion of fire smoke, and the asymmetry of the stairwell structure will cause apparent differences in the diffusion of smoke. Using the natural smoke exhaust in the stairwells of low-rise buildings does not aggravate the spread of smoke in the building and is conducive to smoke emissions. The high-pressure water mist system is superior to the water spray system in fire extinguishing and controlling room temperature. While it reduces smoke exhaust performance, it does not adversely affect personnel evacuation. This study systematically reveals the law of diffusion of fire smoke from “[”-type teaching buildings, which can support the design of similar building structures, ventilation, fire protection, and the formulation of fire escape plans.

Shear Wall Analysis and Design Optimization in Instance of High-Rise Buildings using ETABS

Abstract: Today’s tall buildings are becoming more and more slender, leading to the possibility of more sway in comparison with earlier high-rise buildings. improving the structural systems of tall buildings can control their dynamic response. With more appropriate structural forms such as shear walls and tube structures and improved material properties. The general design concept of the contemporary bearing wall building system depends upon the combined structural action of the floor and roof systems with the walls. The floor system carries vertical loads and, acting as a diaphragm, lateral loads to the walls for transfer to the foundation. Lateral forces of wind and earthquake are usually resisted by shear walls which are parallel to the direction of lateral load. These shear walls, by their shearing resistance and resistance to overturning, transfer the lateral loads to the foundation. In the present study a 45 storey high rise building, with podium up to 4th floor level is considered. After podium level (4th floor level), there is no sudden change in plan because if there is any sudden change it may result in the stiffness/torsional irregularities of building if a small seismic forces or any other less magnitude horizontal force strike the structure. The optimization techniques which are used in this project are firstly considered the size of shear wall is same throughout the building and then analysis is done from the result the failed shear wall dimensions are increased to resist the whole structure, in this way the optimization was done for number of time till the whole structure comes to stable to resist the forces. In this present project shear wall design and optimization is done by using the software Etabs and the shear walls are arranged in such a way to resist the lateral forces in zone III region throughout the structure according to Indian codes.

On the issue of improving the seismic resistance of suspended buildings in areas of high seismic activity

The widespread use of high-rise buildings was caused by the growing population of cities and the lack of land. As practice shows, the structural system of high-rise buildings with a load-bearing core is one of the most reliable. A variety of such buildings are buildings with suspended structures. This structural system has found application in many high-rise buildings around the world, including in seismically active areas. At the same time, such a constructive solution is rarely found in Russia. We have no recommendations on the use of this structural system, and there is also no information about the behavior of suspended structures with high seismic activity. The greatest interest in the study of buildings with a load-bearing core occurred in the 80s – 90s of the 20th century. It is worth mentioning a number of important advantages of the considered constructive system. First of all, these structures have significant flexibility, which leads to an increase in the natural period of oscillations and a decrease in the seismic load on the load-bearing elements. In some cases, suspended structures of buildings with a load-bearing core act as dynamic absorbers. This makes it possible to ensure the stability and reliability of the entire building without the use of special devices. This article presents the results of some studies conducted to use a structural system with a load-bearing core and suspended floors in seismic construction areas.

Automated minimum-weight sizing design framework for tall self-standing modular buildings subjected to multiple performance constraints under static and dynamic wind loads

In recent decades, the shortage of affordable housing has become an endemic issue in many cities worldwide due to the ongoing urban population growth. Against this backdrop, volumetric steel modular building systems (MBSs) are becoming an increasingly compelling solution to the above challenge owing to their rapid construction speed and reduced upfront costs. Notwithstanding their success in low- to mid-rise projects, these assembled structures generally rely on a separate lateral load-resisting system (LLRS) for lateral stiffness and resistance to increased wind loads as the building altitude increases. However, additional LLRSs require on-site construction, thereby compromising the productivity boost offered by the MBSs. To this end, this paper proposes a novel optimisation-driven sizing design framework for tall self-standing modular buildings subjected to concurrent drift, floor acceleration, and member strength constraints under static and dynamic wind loads. A computationally efficient solution strategy is devised to facilitate a meaningful sizing solution by decomposing the constrained discrete sizing problem into a convex serviceability limit stage (SLS) and a non-convex ultimate limit stage (ULS), which can be then solved using preferred local and global optimisation methods, separately. The framework is implemented by integrating SAP2000 (for structural analysis) and MATLAB (for optimisation) through SAP2000′s open Application Programming Interface (API), and demonstrated using a 15-storey self-standing steel modular building exposed to three different levels of wind intensity. A comprehensive performance assessment is conducted on the optimally designed case-study building to investigate its elastic instability behaviour, geometric nonlinear effects on wind-induced response, and impacts of global sway imperfections on member utilisation ratios under wind effects. It is concluded that tall self-standing modular buildings can be achieved economically using ordinary corner-supported modules without ad hoc structural provisions, while consuming steel at similar rates to conventional building structural systems. Furthermore, the proposed sizing framework and solution strategy have proven to be useful design tools for reconciling the structural resilience and material efficiency in wind-sensitive self-standing modular buildings.

Analysis and Design of Lateral Framing Systems for Multi-Story Steel Buildings

This study focused on identifying the most appropriate structural system for multi-story buildings and analyzing its response to lateral loads. The study analyzed and compared the different structural systems to determine the most suitable option. The study aims to utilize three lateral framing systems (moment, braced, and diagrid) in order to investigate which system needs the least amount of steel to meet the design requirements. Thus, in order to determine the estimated steel savings of this system as compared to the moment and braced frames, the four-story and eight-story buildings that are 96′ × 96′ in the plane and utilize moment frames, braced frame, and diagrid framing structural systems are presented. Based on the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) 7–10, load combinations are considered for the designs, and the RAM structural analysis is used for the modeling and analysis of the structural systems. The findings of this study’s illustrations were the optimum for the analysis of wind of 176 kips and seismic loads of 122 kips, the building’s lateral displacements, which were the lowest at 0.045 inches, the story drift, the story stiffness, and the story shear for each structural system. In addition, the diagrid system also had the least amount of shear for all the stories, suggesting that it is better able to manage the lateral forces. These results indicate that the diagrid system is a more efficient structural system and can be recommended for use in multi-story buildings.

Embodied Carbon Minimization for Single-Story Steel Gable Frames

As the construction industry, especially steel construction, contributes to a large portion of global greenhouse gas emissions, sustainable structural design has become a necessity to achieve the world vision of reaching net zero emissions by 2050. As steel portal frames are the most used structural system for single-story buildings, the main objective of this study is to determine the optimal steel portal frame configuration using prismatic and/or non-prismatic members to achieve the least embodied carbon. Five different portal frame configurations are considered under the effect of five distinct loading conditions. The results led to developing design charts consisting of contour plots showing the embodied carbon per unit of volume enclosed by the steel frame for different frame configurations, loading conditions, span lengths, and column heights. In addition, by increasing the number of member divisions, design variables, and non-prismatic segments, the average embodied carbon of the steel portal frames can be significantly reduced by about 14.34% up to 26.47% relative to the configuration with only prismatic members.

A Novel Integrated Optimization-Driven Design Framework for Minimum-Weight Lateral-Load Resisting Systems in Wind-Sensitive Buildings Equipped with Dynamic Vibration Absorbers

The increasing rate of urbanization in recent decades has resulted in a global surge in the construction of slender high-rise buildings. These structures are prone to excessive wind-induced lateral vibrations in the crosswind direction owing to vortex shedding effects, causing occupant discomfort and, ultimately, dynamic serviceability failure. To reconcile the worldwide accelerated trend in constructing tall buildings with the sustainable building sector agenda, this paper proposes a novel bi-objective integrated design framework that leverages dynamic vibration absorbers (DVAs) to minimize the required material usage in the wind load-resisting structural systems (WLSSs) of occupant comfort-governed tall buildings. The framework couples structural sizing optimization for minimum-weight WLSS design (objective 1), with optimal DVA tuning for floor acceleration minimization to satisfy codified wind comfort design requirements by using the smallest DVA inertia (objective 2). Furthermore, a versatile numerical strategy is devised for the efficient solution of the proposed bi-objective optimization problem. For illustration, the framework is applied to a 15-storey steel building equipped with one of two different DVAs: a widely considered top-floor tuned mass damper (TMD) and an innovative ground-floor tuned inerter damper (TID). The derived Pareto optimal integrated (WLSS-plus-DVA) designs demonstrate that significant reduction in both structural steel usage and embodied carbon emissions can be achieved using either one of the two DVAs with moderate inertia. It is concluded that the proposed optimization-driven design framework and numerical solution strategy offer an alternative innovative approach to achieve material-efficient high-rise buildings under wind hazards.

Experimental Validation and Numerical Analysis of a High-Performance Blast Energy-Absorbing System for Building Structures

The paper presents a full-scale blast testing experimental campaign conducted on an energyabsorbing connector comprising thin-walled inversion tubes as kernel elements mounted in a façade protective panel. LS-DYNA finite element predictions of the global and local deformation/inversion of the panel/connectors compared reasonably well with the experimental observations. After validation, the numerical model was used to analyze the response of a simple idealized reinforced concrete structure under three blast-loading scenarios: the first two scenarios produce, approximately, the same impulse but are significantly different in terms of load duration and overpressures, and represent a far-field and a near-field scenario (1600 kg TNT at 20 m (i) and 150 kg TNT at 5 m (ii), respectively); the third scenario is more demanding, and consists in a half standoff distance of the second (150 kg TNT at 2.5 m (iii)). These numerical simulations allow to assess the effect of standoff distance and blast loading on the effectiveness of the protective system. One may conclude that the introduction of EACs strongly limits the forces imparted to the protected structure, reducing significantly the corresponding energy absorption demand. Comparing the energy absorbed by the structure in different scenarios, with and without the protective system (8 × ϕ64 × 2 mm), one can see that these reductions can reach, respectively 67%, 72% and 68% in the far-field, near-field and very near-field explosions.

Design and Parameter Optimization of the Reduction-Isolation Control System for Building Structures Based on Negative Stiffness

In order to improve the damping capacity of building isolation system, this paper studies the damping isolation control system of the building structure based on negative stiffness. In this paper, the dynamic equation of the damping isolation control system is derived and its parameters are optimized by H2 norm theory and Monte Carlo pattern search method. Taking the 5-story building structure as an example, this paper analyzes and evaluates the damping performance of the damping isolation control system of the building structure under the actual earthquake. The results show that negative stiffness can improve the damping capacity of traditional isolation system. Additionally, the negative stiffness ratio under the condition of stability, the smaller the negative stiffness ratio, the stronger the vibration reduction ability of the negative stiffness. The damping isolation control system of building structure based on negative stiffness shows good damping effect under the actual earthquake.

Analysis on seismic control strategies for structural control device: A comparative study

The paper explores various control strategies proposed by researchers from decades ago in controlling the building structural system. It focuses on hybrid mass dampers used by many researchers in their previous work because the implementation of this device needs an excellent control strategy to provide a better performance in suppressing building vibration. The suitable choice of control strategy in structural control is important in giving the best structure response to withstand an earthquake or strong wind. Based on previous structure and control strategies, a simulation for a two-storey building structure system equipped with a hybrid mass damper at the top building has been conducted. Fuzzy logic controller (FLC), Sliding mode controller (SMC) and fuzzy sliding mode controller (FSMC) are used to suppress the building structure vibration during an earthquake by giving input from seismic excitation taken from El Centro earthquake. The simulation result shows that FSMC technique provides better performance compared to FLC and SMC in suppressing the building vibration based on the displacement response and frequency response. This paper concludes with the problems left and recommendations for structural control improvement.

Low Carbon Building Design Optimization Based on Intelligent Energy Management System

The construction of relevant standards for building carbon emission assessment in China has just started, and the quantitative analysis method and evaluation system are still imperfect, which hinders the development of lowcarbon building design. Therefore, the use of intelligent energy management system is very necessary. The purpose of this paper is to explore the design optimization of low-carbon buildings based on intelligent energy management systems. Based on the proposed quantitative method of building carbon emission, this paper establishes the quota theoretical system of building carbon emission analysis, and develops the quota based carbon emission calculation software. Smart energy management system is a low-carbon energy-saving system based on the reference of largescale building energy-saving system and combined with energy consumption. It provides a fast and effective calculation tool for the quantitative evaluation of carbon emission of construction projects, so as to realize the carbon emission control and optimization in the early stage of architectural design and construction. On this basis, the evaluation, analysis and calculation method of building structure based on carbon reduction target is proposed, combined with the carbon emission quota management standard proposed in this paper. Taking small high-rise residential buildings as an example, this paper compares and analyzes different building structural systems from the perspectives of structural performance, economy and carbon emission level. It provides a reference for the design and evaluation of low-carbon building structures. The smart energy management system collects user energy use parameters. It uses time period and time sequence to obtain a large amount of data for analysis and integration, which provides users with intuitive energy consumption data. Compared with the traditional architectural design method, the industrialized construction method can save 589.22 megajoules (MJ) per square meter. Based on 29270 megajoules (MJ) per ton of standard coal, the construction area of the case is about 8000 m2, and the energy saving of residential buildings is 161.04 tons of standard coal. This research is of great significance in reducing the carbon emission intensity of buildings.

Exploration of steel structure modular building technology system based on rapid assembly—take X-house for example

Through modular design and modular assembly technology measures, taking function, space and structural system as structural units; Three-dimensional building information technology is applied in design, manufacturing, on-site assembly and other links. The modular technology system of steel structure for rapid assembly such as modular structural system of building space, beam-column nodes, node design optimization, on-site hoisting and assembling of modular building structural system, modular mechanical and electrical equipment unit design and other applications is comprehensively and systematically discussed. Taking X-house project participating in the Dubai International Solar Energy Competition as an example, the research and practice of residential technical system for rapid assembly are systematically introduced.