Seismic Configuration

Seismic Configuration
Geometry, Size and Shape
Location and size of Structural Elements
Location and size of Non-Structural Elements

Rai, Murty and Jain

Seismic Configuration

Geometry, Size and Shape

???
Convex
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Concave
Rai, Murty and Jain

Seismic Configuration

Simple
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Complex
Rai, Murty and Jain

Seismic Configuration

Overall size

Too long

Too tall

Too large in plan

Buildings with one overall size much larger/smaller than other two,
do not perform well during EQs
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OFFSET BUILDINGS
Alphabetic Shapes

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Rai, Murty and Jain

OFFSET BUILDINGS

Re-entrant
corners

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Seismic Configuration

Shape

Simple Plan
::good

Corners and Curves

:: poor

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Simple plan shape

buildings do well
during EQs

Separation joints make complex plans

into simple plans

Rai, Murty and Jain

Seismic Configuration

Indirect load path

Slopy Ground

Setbacks

Hanging or Floating Columns

Unusually
Tall Storey

Weak or Flexible Storey

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RC Wall
Discontinued in
Ground Storey

Discontinuing Structural Members

Sudden deviations in load transfer path

along height lead to poor performance

Rai, Murty and Jain

Seismic Configuration

Simple, direct load transfer path gives

better performance
Regular configuration preferred
Even distribution of mass and stiffness in building
plan and with building height

In buildings with irregular configuration

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Ductility demand gets concentrated in a few storeys

or elements
Simple code expression not valid;
quantitative guidelines required

Rai, Murty and Jain

Symmetric Buildings
Swing Analogy

1-storey
building

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3-storey
building

Rope swings and buildings, both swing back-and-forth when shaken horizontally.
The former are hung from the top, while the latter are raised
from
the ground.
Rai,
Murty
and Jain

Symmetric Buildings

Symmetry
Mass
Stiffness

Identical Vertical
Members

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Uniform
Movement of
Floor

EQ Ground
Movement

Identical vertical members placed uniformly in plan of building cause

all points on the floor to move by same amount.
Rai, Murty

and Jain

UNSymmetric Buildings
Swing Analogy:: Mass Unsymmetry

Light Side
of Building
Twist

Swing
with equal ropes
EQ Ground Shaking

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Heavy Side
of Building

Even if vertical members are placed uniformly in plan of building, more mass on one side
causes the floors to twist.
Rai, Murty and

Jain

UNSymmetric Buildings

Swing Analogy:: Stiffness Unsymmetry

Vertical Axis about which
building twists

Swing
with unequal ropes

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Earthquake
Ground
Movement

Building on slope ground

Buildings have unequal vertical members;

they cause the building to twist about a vertical axis.

Rai, Murty and Jain

Seismic Configuration

Location and size of Structural Elements

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Rai, Murty and Jain

UNSymmetric Buildings

Other types of stiffness unsymmetry

Wall

Wall

Columns

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Wall

Columns

Buildings with walls on two/one sides

(in plan)
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UNSymmetric Buildings

Combined Unsymmetry

Earthquake
Ground
Shaking

One-side open ground storey building twists

during EQ shaking
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UNSymmetric Buildings

Consequences

Earthquake
Ground
Movement
These columns are
more vulnerable

Vertical members of buildings that move more horizontally

sustain more damage
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Rai, Murty and Jain

Seismic Design

Pounding

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Seismic Configuration

Relative distance

Pounding can occur between adjoining buildings due to

horizontal vibrations of the two buildings
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Rai, Murty and Jain

Seismic Design

Connectors between buildings to be

designed carefully

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Diaphragms

Floor Diaphragms
Out-of-plane versus In-plane flexibility
Out of plane is important for gravity loads

In-plane is important for seismic loads

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Floor Diaphragms

Floor rigid in-plane

Moves like a rigid block in its own plane
Translation

Uniform Movement of Floor

Uniform
Movement of
Floor

Earthquake
Ground
Movement

Earthquake Ground Movement

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Floor Diaphragms

Rotation

Earthquake
Ground
Movement

Combined Translation and Rotation

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Earthquake
Ground
Movement

Rai, Murty and Jain

Floor Diaphragms

Floors apply horizontal force on vertical elements

Vertical elements act as horizontal springs

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Floor Diaphragms

Rigid diaphragm
F

0.4k
0.4F

0.2k
0.2F

0.4k
0.4F

Forces are proportional to stiffness of walls

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Floor Diaphragms

Flexible diaphragm

0.4k
F/4

F/2

0.2k

0.4k

F/4

Forces are proportional to tributary area

Wall stiffnesses do not come into calculations
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Rai, Murty and Jain

Floor Diaphragms

Act like beams in horizontal plane

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Floor Diaphragms

Many of them

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Floor Diaphragms

Cut-outs ??

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Floor Diaphragms

Openings only under compulsion

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Open Ground Story

Open Ground Storey

Known for decades
Poor seismic configuration

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Open Ground Storey

Garage doors

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Open Ground Storey

Three Situations

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Open Ground Storey

Understood well!!

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Open Ground Storey

Lessons learnt !!

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Structural Walls
Steel or RC
Do not interrupt wall in lower levels

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Short Column Effect

Mistaken Identity of Infills

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Irregularities provisions
in Codes

Building Configuration
Irregularities in Buildings
Mass
Stiffness
Geometry

Indian Standards
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Building Configuration

Building Codes
Configuration emphasised in buildings
Comprehensive section on identifying irregularities
Quantitative definitions of irregular buildings

Two types of Irregularities addressed

Plan Irregularities
Vertical Irregularities

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Building Configuration

Plan Irregularities
Torsion Irregularity

Heavy Mass

Irregular Orientation of Lateral

Force Resisting System

1
49

Floor

1.2

Rai, Murty and Jain

Building Configuration

Re-entrant Corners
A

50

A
L

0.15 0.20

Rai, Murty and Jain

Building Configuration

Diaphragm Discontinuity
Flexible

Opening

Opening

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Plan
Rai, Murty and Jain

Building Configuration

Out of Plane Offsets

Shear Wall

Shear Wall

Shear Wall

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Building Configuration

Non-Parallel System

y
x

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Building Configuration

Vertical Irregularities
Stiffness Irregularity (Soft Storey)

ki
ki+1
ki
ki-1
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ki

0 .7 k i

0.8

ki

ki 2 ki
3

Rai, Murty and Jain

Building Configuration

Mass Irregularity

Wi+1
Wi
Wi-1

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Wi
Wi

2 Wi
2 Wi

1
1

Rai, Murty and Jain

Building Configuration

Vertical Geometric Irregularities

A

A
L
56

0.15 0.20
Rai, Murty and Jain

Building Configuration

L1

L1

L2

L2

L2 1.5L1
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Rai, Murty and Jain

Building Configuration

In-plane Discontinuity in Lateral Load Resisting Elements

Upper Floor
Plan

Lower Floor
Plan

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Building Configuration

Strength Irregularity (Weak Storey)

Si

0 .8 S i

Si+1
Si
Si-1

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Rai, Murty and Jain

SEISMIC CODES

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Seismic Codes

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Non-Structural
Components
Rai, Murty and Jain

Non-structural Elements

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Facades

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Non-structural Elements

Bare

Finished
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Non-structural Elements

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Non-structural Elements

Infringements understood

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Non-structural Elements

Problems

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Non-structural Elements

Electrical power failures

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Non-structural Elements

Secondary disasters

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Non-structural Elements

Chemical Spill

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Non-structural Elements

Chemical Disasters

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Non-structural Elements

Overhead safety

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Non-structural Elements

Indirect losses

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Non-structural Elements

Disruption of services

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Non-structural Elements

May be acceptable

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Non-structural Elements

Not acceptable

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Solutions

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Solutions

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Solutions

Securing masonry chimneys

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Solutions

Securing masonry parapets

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Solutions

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Solutions

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Solutions

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Non-structural Elements

Half-hearted not good!

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Rai, Murty and Jain

Importance of Configuration
Henry Degenkolb,
a noted Earthquake Engineer of USA
aptly summarised the intense importance of seismic
structural configuration in his words:
If we have a poor configuration to start with,
all the engineer can do is to provide a band-aid
- improve a basically poor solution as best as he can.

Conversely, if we start-off with a good configuration and

reasonable framing system, even a poor engineer cant harm
its ultimate performance too much.
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Rai, Murty and Jain

ANALOGIES
Travel Between
Different Points
Traveller health
Direct route
Steady gradient
No overhanging trees
No pirates/crocodiles
Solid/nonslip path
No extra burdens
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Building Seismic
Performance

Proper design/detailing
Direct load path
No concentration of
effort e.g. Soft storey
No dangerous non-structural elements
Gaps between adjacent structures
Good foundation
No attachments that may interfere
with performance

Signature Tower:
Jakarta
638m
#5 in the world in 2020
The tallest in a seismic
region
111 Stories

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