The structural identification of the infill walls contribution in the dynamic response of framed buildings

Abstract

Summary Reinforced concrete (RC) frame buildings containing unreinforced masonry infill walls are commonly used in structural systems around the world. The performance of this type of building can be significantly affected by the presence of infill walls according to their type and distribution in the plane and along the height as revealed by earthquakes. This paper presents data collection, system identification, and finite element modeling of an existing RC framed building designed for gravity loads and containing unreinforced masonry infill walls. Based on a previously carried out ambient vibration test, a three‐dimensional finite element model, comprising infill walls and partitions, was successfully updated on the basis of the global modes identified by the in situ test, pointing out the important role of the nonstructural components for this type of building. The influence of the infill walls and partitions on the vibration period was examined, introducing a comparison with simple formulations for the period calculation suggested by codes or available in the literature. The updated model has been further used to assess an approach for an approximate estimation of the story and global stiffness of the building considering the effect of the secondary elements. The dynamic test with the model updating results an efficient procedure for a complete identification of the elastic behavior of the structure.

Vibration-Based Tests and Results for the Evaluation of Infill Masonry Walls Influence on the Dynamic Behaviour of Buildings: A Review

“…Also, Dhakal et al [79] adopted modal parameters obtained from in-situ AVTs to calibrate FE models of two four-storey infilled RC frame building in Nepal, and, in addition to the infills, they also calibrate the soil deformability to account for the soil-structure interaction. De Angelis and Pecce [80,81] calibrated FE models of buildings tested with AVTs and also considering the internal partitions, that are modelled within the refined numerical models. Asgarian and McClure [82] performed model calibrations of two infilled RC hospital buildings in Canada based on AVT recordings on both buildings, as well as Mora et al [83], who adopted a genetic algorithm to calibrate the infill mechanical properties of a real building built around 1950s.…”

“…At last, few authors investigated the effects of non-structural components and equipment on the building dynamic [78] FVs (shaker) EDS Dhakal et al [79] AVTs Shell De Angelis and Pecce [80] AVTs EDS De Angelis and Pecce [81] AVTs EDS Asgarian and McClure [82] AVTs EDS and Shell Mora et al [83] AVTs EDS and Shell Pan et al [84] AVTs Shell Yun et al [85] AVTs EDS Zhou et al [86] AVTs EDS and Shell Su et al [87] AVTs Shell Aras [88] AVTs and ILTs (Hammer) Shell O'Reilly et al [89] AVTs and FVs (Earthquakes) EDS But and Omenzetter [90] FVs (Earthquakes) EDS behaviour. It is the case of Alembagheri et al [91], who dynamically tested a full-scale laboratory 3-D steel module with different gypsum-board walls, or Wang et al [92], who tested a full-scale steel structure specimen over a shaking table focusing also on the effects of interior partitions and plant piping.…”

Seismic behavior of novel low‐damage precast infill walls with sliding joints for reinforced concrete frame

“…1 In the seismic design process, infill walls are regarded as nonstructural components and their interaction with the bounding frame is generally ignored. 2 However, the adverse infill-frame would change the seismic responses of these buildings as reported in damage observations from past earthquakes and laboratory tests. [3][4][5] The presence of the infill walls on the bare frame might induce unexpected stress distribution and overlarge stiffness appearance of the surrounding frames, while the infill walls may fail prematurely due to their vulnerable nature than the frames.…”

“…Infill walls are typically used as exterior facades or partition walls in reinforced concrete (RC) frame buildings, henceforth denoted as infilled RC frames 1 . In the seismic design process, infill walls are regarded as nonstructural components and their interaction with the bounding frame is generally ignored 2 . However, the adverse infill‐frame would change the seismic responses of these buildings as reported in damage observations from past earthquakes and laboratory tests 3–5 .…”

System Identification and Seismic Performance Assessment of Representative RC Buildings in Kathmandu Valley

“…Alvin et al (2003) provide a very detailed overview of structural SID methods and applications. SID using ambient vibration measurement is becoming popular in recent research (see, for e.g., Chopra, 1997, 1998;Hong and Hwang, 2000;Gallipoli et al, 2009Gallipoli et al, , 2010Astroza et al, 2013;Vidal et al, 2014;De Angelis and Pecce, 2019;O'Reilly et al, 2019;Sawaki et al, 2019;among others). Boutin and Hans (2009) and Sawaki et al (2019) made use of earthquake-induced and ambient vibration measurement for estimating vibration periods and damping ratios of buildings.…”