Seismic tests of post-tensioned self-centering building frames with column and slab restraints

Abstract

Post-tensioned (PT) self-centering moment frames have been developed as an alternative to typical moment-resisting frames (MRFs) for earthquake resistance. When a PT frame deforms laterally, gaps between the beams and columns open. However, the gaps are constrained by the columns and the slab in a real PT self-centering building frame. This paper presents a methodology for evaluating the column restraint and beam compression force based on the column deformation and gap openings at all stories. The method is verified by cyclic tests of a full-scale, two-bay by one-story PT frame. Moreover, a sliding slab is proposed to minimize restraints on the expansion of the PT frame. Shaking table tests were conducted on a reduced-scale, two-by-two bay one-story specimen, which comprises one PT frame and two gravitational frames. The PT frame and gravitational frames are self-centering throughout the tests, responding in phase with only minor differences in peak drifts caused by expansion of the PT frame. When the specimen is excited by a simulation of the 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake with a peak ground acceleration of 1.87 g, the maximum interstory drift and the residual drift are 7.2% and 0.01%, respectively.

Keywords

post-tensioned frame / frame expansion / column restraint / sliding slab / frame test / shake table test

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Acknowledgements

The test programs were supported by the Science Council and Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering (NCREE), Taiwan. The writers are grateful to Prof. K-C Tsai of Taiwan University, Prof. H-L Hsu of Central University, and Dr. K-C Lin of NCREE for their support in the design, construction, and testing of the frame.

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2014 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg