Evaluation of US Seismic Code Provisions for Asymmetric-Plan Systems
The effects of plan asymmetry on the earthquake response of code-designed, one-story systems are identified with the objective of evaluating how well these effects are represented by torsional...
Earthquake Resistant Design and Construction of Reinforced Concrete Buildings. The Practice in Mexico After 1985
The evolution of the design and construction practice of reinforced concrete buildings in Mexico is presented in terms of materials, structural systems, member design and reinforcement...
Techniques for Seismic Rehabilitation of Buildings in Mexico City
The 1985 earthquake in Mexico City caused collapse or damage of a large number of engineered buildings. After this event several hundreds of buildings were retrofitted using several techniques....
Seismic Upgrade Design of Buildings
Building owners and users in seismically prone areas are becoming increasingly aware of the potential risks associated with the seismically hazardous buildings in the region specially...
Effect of First-Story Shearwalls on Earthquake-Resistant Buildings
A Practical system for earthquake-resistant building design is described. The system utilizes Teflon sliders at the top of the first story framed shearwalls to carry a portion of the superstructure....
Code Provisions for Unreinforced Masonry Bearing Wall Buildings in California
Prior to the Long Beach earthquake of 1933, unreinforced masonry (URM) construction was usual in California, as it still is in many areas of the United States. The poor performance of...
CenterCore Strengthening System for Seismic Hazard Reduction of Unreinforced Masonry Bearing Wall Buildings
The CenterCore technique of reinforcing unreinforced masonry walls was developed with the help of a National Science Foundation grant in 1984. The CenterCore strengthening system consists...
Earthquake Strengthening of a Twelve Story Non-Ductile Concrete Frame Building with Unreinforced Masonry Using Displacement Control Criterion
The structural concern with the Cooper Arms Apartment building when subjected to ground shaking was the in-plane and out-of-plane forces on the infill and consequences of the infill resisting...
Seismic Standards for Existing Federally Owned and Leased Buildings
Public Law 101-614 requires the Interagency Committee on Seismic Safety in construction to develop 'standards for assessing and enhancing the seismic safety of existing buildings constructed...
Fire Retardant Treated Wood
The paper explains how FRTW chemicals react with combustible gases. It describes the two types into which FRTW is divided. Misconceptions about FRTW are also addressed....
Design Wind Speed and Design Criteria of Buildings
Design load recommendations of Architectural Institute of Japan(A.I.J.) are revised according to a common principle to all kinds of loads. The basic wind speed is defined as the annual...
Prediction of Wind-Induced Responses and Wind Loads
The Recommendations for Wind Loads of Buildings and Structures of the Architectural Institute of Japan have now been updated. This paper presents the drafts of the new Recommendations...
Wind Resistant Design and Response Control of Tall Building
This paper presents an overall view of the wind resistant design and response control of the tall buildings in Japan, the Crystal Tower in Osaka and the Landmark Tower in Yokohama. The...
Investigation of a Failed Concrete Joist System
The failure and distress of concrete joists contained in the promenade roof deck of a one-story, college, lecture hall building initiated an extensive investigation to determine the cause...
The Engineer's Role in Reducing Curtainwall Failures
For a variety of reasons, engineers have abdicated responsibility for curtainwall design. Failures of curtainwall components are very common, leading to expensive repairs and even complete...
The Effective Use of Fire Ratings
Any consideration of components for construction must take into account the performance of those components when they are exposed to fire. Codes, standards, and fire ratings provide some...
Things That Fall?Lessons from Some Construction Accidents and Structural Failures
The causes and results of several construction accidents are reviewed. The lessons to be learned from such a summary are that all too often the simplest oversight leads to catastrophic...
Tuned Mass Damper in Tall Building Design
Viscoelastic dN and tuned mass dampers are often used by tall building designers to control wind-induced building vibrations resulting from such phenomena as vortex shedding, galloping,...
Vortex Shedding Induced Fatigue Fracture of Mast Tower
The fracture of a pair of 60m high circular steel masts is investigated. The design criteria and fabrication practices are reviewed. The cause of failure is related to the fatigued condition...
Tuned Mass Dampers for Towers and Buildings
Tuned mass dampers (TMD's) are used to reduce the response of tall slender structures to resonant wind-induced oscillations. This paper reviews the authors' experience with the design...
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