NEHRP Clearinghouse

Title
Seismic Behavior of Precast Curtain Walls in High-Rise Buildings.
File
PB81193039.pdf
Author(s)
Sack, R. L.; Beers, R. J.; Rains, D. J.; Sessa, V. A.; Thomas, D. L.
Source
National Science Foundation, Washington, DC. Office of Planning and Resources Management., January 1981, 352 p.
Abstract
Investigations to explore the nature of curtain wall participation in the structural response characteristics of high rise buildings subjected to seismic excitation are reported. Structural plans from a number of typical buildings were studied to establish current practice. Four basic insert types, plus various combinations of types of connector bodies, were tested to obtain static stiffness properties and low cycle fatigue data. Full scale tests were run on a one-story, single bay structure. The assemblage (consisting of a steel rigid frame with AISC Type 1 connections and two precast concrete panels attached with dissociated connections at the top and integrative connections at the bottom) was subjected to several earthquakes using a closed loop servocontrolled hydraulic loading system. Exceedance levels, power spectra density, and time response plots were obtained for approximately twelve transducers. These studies were augmented with a finite element representation of the assemblage to study the static and dynamic response. Experimental data were utilized in a feedback loop to the analytical model studies to allow crosschecking and improvement of the structural idealization.
Keywords
Bending stress; High rise buildings; Curtain walls; Mathematical models; Walls; Dynamic response; Buildings; Earthquake engineering; Fasteners; Concrete slabs; Computer programming; SAPFAP computer program; Earthquakes; Dynamic structural analysis