The University of Melbourne

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Semester 1, Assessment 2007

421-694 HIGH-RISE STRUCTURES

Pass and Honours

Exam Duration: 3 (THREE) hours

Reading Time: 15 minutes

This paper has seven (7) pages

Authorised Materials:

• Electronic calculators may be used

Instructions to Invigilators:

• Candidates are permitted to remove the examination paper from the examination room.

Instructions to Students:

• Candidates should attempt ALL SIX (6) questions.

• Sections are not of equal weight and the marks allocated to each section are shown in
parentheses.
• Total marks for the paper total to 180.
• Dimensions in mm unless otherwise shown.

Paper to be lodged with the Baillieu Library

421-496 High-Rise Structures Page 2 of 7

Ql. (a) Consider the 250mm thick pre-cast concrete wall element shown in Figure 1 proposed as
part of an internal wall of a two storey plant room in a multi-storey building. The wall is
considered to be restrained against out-of-plane deflections along its edges and is simply
supported onto a floor beam at the bottom. Critical loading for the wall is combined Dead
: Load with Live Load (latter assumed to be a 16kN/m line load as shown).
1
Outline the Finite Element (FE) modelling methodology you would adopt, sketching
details of the mesh and its associated features, assuming STRAND? is available as the
analysis program, for the design of this wall.
(14 marks)
6m
16kN/m

E
Figure 1
oo

1.8m 2.4m 1.8m

(b) Outline the benefits that can be realized when using an eight-noded plate element over a
four-noded element when meshing the floor slab depicted in Figure 2 below.
(6 marks)

450(1)

E
CD

Figure 2

(Total marks for Question 1=20)

421-496 High-Rise Structures Page 3 of 7

Q2. Answer the following short answer questions.

(a) Comment on this statement providing an argument in support:

"Use of rigid links to model the beam-column intersection zone of a frame structure
does not always lead to reduced values for moment design, when compared to a model
that does not make use of such rigid links". Provide examples to illustrate your response.
(10 marks)

(b) Discuss the factors influencing the axial shortening of concrete buildings. Briefly
discuss how differential movement between vertical elements can be minimized.

(20 marks)

(c) List the different types of fagade systems. It is imperative that the fa$ade systems for
high-rise buildings can resist design loads due to their own weight and due to lateral
loads to avoid structural failure, which may cause human injury or loss of life. Describe
with the aid of sketches the other important structural considerations a structural
engineer must give to fa?ade design.

(20 marks)

(d) With increasing building height, generally

the central core system starts to become
inadequate, in terms of strength and
stiffness, to resist the expected lateral loads.
One solution is to introduce an outrigger/belt
truss system as illustrated in Figure 3. With
the aid of sketches describe this system and
explain how the system enhances both the
global lateral stiffness and strength
compared with the core on its own. Also
state the function of the perimeter belt truss.

Figure 3 - Outrigger / Belt Truss

System for Question 2(d)

(12 marks)

(Total marks for Question 2= 62)

421-496 High-Rise Structures Page 4 of 7

Q3. (a) Explain the importance of cross-wind actions in designing a tall building.

(6 marks)

(b) Discuss how you would design a tall building for satisfactory "perception of motion".
(12 marks)

(c) The design of tall buildings to resist earthquake ground motions involves more than just
calculating appropriate force levels. List and discuss some of the other important issues in
the seismic design process both at conceptual and detailed design stages.
(12 marks)

(Total marks for Question 3 = 30 marks)

Q4. Consider a typical floor plate of a proposed residential building comprising of a 220mm thick
slab supported on 1.0m wide by 0.45m deep concrete band beams spanning between the
central core and the perimeter reinforced concrete beam column frame, as shown in Figure 4
(next page). The vertical elements consist of a 15.0m by 15.0m centrally located core and
1.0m square reinforced concrete columns along the perimeter. The inter-storey height for the
building is 4.0m. The given beam sizes include the slab thickness.

You have been given the following loading information :

Weight of band beams to be calculated
Weight of slab to be calculated
Superimposed dead load LOOkPa i
Perimeter Beam to be calculated ;
Fa$ade l.OkPa
Weight of column to be calculated

Live Load 4.0kPa

Based on the above loadings estimate the total ultimate load (1.2 Dead +1.5 Live), per floor,
in kN's, acting on column A for this building. (Assume concrete density = 24.5 kN/m3)

(Question 4 continued on next page)

421-496 High-Rise Structures Page 5 of 7

1.2m wide by
0.5m deep band
beams typical Column A
Spaced at
7.50m as
shown

5.0m 15.0m. 5.0m.

0.6m wide by 0.9m deep

perimeter beams

Figure 4 - Floor System for High Rise Building for Question 4

(Total marks for Question 4 = 18 marks)

 421-496 High-Rise Structures Page 6 of 7

Q5. Consider a 6 storey beam-column frame as illustrated in Figure 5. All columns are
geometrically identical and all beams are also geometrically identical. Using the approximate
cantilever method determine the internal beam shear forces on level 4 (as shown) when the
frame is subjected to the lateral loads given in Figure 5. State your assumptions.

80kN
' Xr h
6
120kN
5 " 3.5
90kN
" tVP cal
4
80kN
3
75kN
XT hi
2 •^•2 P

80kN
"1 ! ^

^.. ^ ^ k. * h.^i— h.
Shear Force
7m 9m 9m 7m required for this
beam

(a) (b)

Figure 5 - Beam-Column Frame for Question 5

(Total marks 'for Question 5 = 20 marks)

Q6. Consider a typical 40 storey office tower as described in Figure 6. The Lateral Load
Resisting Structural System (LLRSS) consists of 4 cells of core elements with wall thickness
of 300mm throughout.

a) Locate the centre of stiffness of the LLRSS of this building. (Note that one simple way of
1 ^ 1 1
calculating moment of inertia of rectangular cells is given by Iceii= /nBD - /nbd , where
"B" and "D" are the external dimensions of the cell, and "b" and "d" are the internal
dimension of the cell)
(15 marks)

b) Estimate the percentage of total north-south wind load resisted by core element 4 when the
load is applied at the centre of the south fa9ade.
(15 marks)

(Question 6 continued on next page)

421-496 High-Rise Structures Page 7 of 7

50m.

^forl th

«
8m.
*
Office . i
building 2m. about — j v
t ~~\ 40m.
center line -. ~>.*^;= ,-VS~.. .':* --.'^:^! ••: ~ ..• « :.,-•- ^:V V ^*^

7m
f ' *••:':'* , -•-, ^t.- ^t. ,**• -^;; y-^.,J

(3) (A)
- ^' " ™ 'w
7 R "i
-*
s \ y- S

3m.2m 6m 8m.

I
building
center line

Figure 6 - Building plan

(Total marks for Question 6 = 30 marks)

TOTAL MARKS FOR EXAM: 180

END OF EXAM