1 Article

2 A modified elasto-plastic analysis of multi-storey RCC and

3 composite building within the framework of ABAQUS
4 Firstname Lastname 1, Firstname Lastname 2 and Firstname Lastname 2,*

5 1 Affiliation 1; e-mail@e-mail.com
6 2 Affiliation 2; e-mail@e-mail.com
7 * Correspondence: e-mail@e-mail.com; Tel.: (optional; include country code; if there are multiple corre-
8 sponding authors, add author initials)
9 Abstract: Composite system of construction has been usually accepted all over the world as a
10 new, additional, and alternate method in construction industry. The major objective of this paper
11 is to compare a framed structure made by reinforced cement concrete (RCC) and composite
12 material under both static and dynamic loads. For this purpose, a new elasto-plastic dynamics
13 time history analysis is prosed for the analysis of RCC and composite building by using ABAQUS
14 software. Several parameters, such as; peak acceleration, stiffness, displacement, storey drift, axial
15 force, shear force, time period, frequency, twisting moment and bending under both static and
16 dynamic conditions were studied by ABAQUS. Results showed that the displacement and shear
17 force history curve in elastic and elasto-plastic analysis increased as the storey number and time
18 period increased under both rare and common earthquakes. Furthermore, storey stiffness,
19 displacement, drift, twisting and bending moment, axial and shear force in composite structure
20 were slightly less as compare to RCC structure in both transverse and longitudinal directions. The
21 numerical results also suggested that the use of composite members in construction is more
22 durable than RCC members.

23 Keywords: Elasto-plastic analysis; ABAQUS; Storey drift; Stiffness; RCC; Composite structure
24

25 1. Introduction
Citation: To be added by editorial
26 Reinforced cement concrete and composite structures have been satisfying the
staff during production.
27 greater demands in civil engineering for more than 10 decades. The applications and
Academic Editor: Firstname Last-
28 usage of RCC and composite members, in structural as well as architectural point of
name
29 view, stands as a witness and demonstrated its versatility very well. Composite
Received: date
Revised: date 30 construction is formed when two heterogeneous materials are binded together
Accepted: date 31 effectively so that they act together as a single element from a structural point of view [1,
Published: date
32 2]. The increasing rate of urbanization in recent decades has seen an accelerated trend in
33 construction of high-rise and tall buildings worldwide, particularly in the emerging
34
Copyright: © 2023 by the authors. economies of the world. A fundamental economic driver for the growth of tall buildings
Submitted for possible open access
35 is the scarcity of land in the densely urbanised parts of the world [3]. The competition
publication under the terms and
36 for constructing the tallest building in a city, country, region, or the world has acted as
conditions of the Creative Commons
Attribution (CC BY) 37
license another driver for the growth of tall buildings worldwide [4]. In the past decade or so,
(https://creativecommons.org/license
38 the race for constructing the tallest has been extended to include the contest for
s/by/4.0/).

Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, x. https://doi.org/10.3390/xxxxx www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci

 Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 20

39 constructing the most iconic and spectacular high-rise building often characterized by
40 complex geometries and leaning/twisting forms [5, 6].
41 According to code for seismic design of buildings, high-rise buildings are designed
42 with three-level of fortification targets and two-stage design steps. In the first design
43 stage, the elasticity analysis of the structure under the action of small earthquakes carries
44 out based on structural section bearing capacity design [7]. To achieve the fortification
45 goal of repairable under moderate earthquakes the structure is required to be rarely
46 encountered with elastoplastic deformation and irregular and obvious weak parts may
47 cause serious damage to the building structure during the earthquake. The rare
48 earthquake action shall be carried out in accordance with the relevant provisions of this
49 code [8, 9].
50 Previously many scholar conducted the study, based on different techniques, on
51 building design optimization, which plays an important role in maximizing the
52 reliability, cost efficiency, and environmental sustainability of constructed facilities [10].
53 Such as, Papavasileiou et al. [11] presented a discrete evolution strategies algorithm for
54 optimal structural designs and cost-effective solutions of buildings. Shooli et al. [12]
55 used a mixed GA-PSO approach for design and performance optimization of pecial
56 moment-resisting frames and 2D reinforced concrete. Gholizadeh et al.[13] presented a
57 novel metaheuristic algorithm for discrete design optimization of steel moment frames.
58 Cicconi et al.[14] proposed a methodological approach for the multi-objective
59 optimization of steel towers made from prefabricated cylindrical stacks that are typically
60 used in the oil and gas sector. Di Trapani et al.[15] utilized retrofitting technique to
61 retrofit beams and columns against gravity and seismic loads for existing reinforced
62 cement concrete (RCC) frame structures.
63 Frame structures, high-rise building and complex high-rise building, elasto-plastic
64 static or dynamic analysis methods can be used to check the elasto-plastic deformation
65 of the weak zones. ETABS computer code can be effectively used to study the seismic
66 and wind effect on multi story RCC and composite building [16]. SAP 2000 software can
67 analyze and design multistory building using composite structure [17]. However, for
68 complex high-rise and super high-rise buildings, to perform elasto-plastic deformation
69 calculations under rare earthquakes to achieve the fortification goal is still a problem to
70 be solved.
71 At present, there are two methods to determine the elasto-plastic deformation of
72 structure under the action of large earthquakes: static elasto-plastic analysis method and
73 dynamic elasto-plastic time history analysis method [18, 19]. Based on the US seismic
74 evaluation method and the static elastic-plastic analysis method, the core of this theory is
75 the "target displacement method" and the "bearing capacity spectrum method". The
76 bearing capacity spectrum method has been used to check the elasto-plastic deformation
77 of structure under rare earthquakes [7]. Compared with the current load-bearing capacity
78 design method, target displacement method can estimate the nonlinear deformation of
79 structure and its components. Compared with dynamic elasto-plastic analysis, input
80 parameters and results of this method are relatively clear [20]. Also, reasonable rein-
 Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 3 of 20

81 forcement can be estimated intuitively, and relatively less time and cost required to
82 conduct more stable analysis adopting target displacement method.
83 However, this method also has many shortcomings: 1) There is no particularly rig-
84 orous theoretical basis. It assumes that the response of the structure is related to the
85 equivalent single degree of freedom, and the deformation along the height of the struc-
86 ture is represented by the shape vector. 2) The calculation model of the beam and column
87 using the centralized plastic hinge element can be more accurately simulated, but there
88 has been no ideal calculation model for the shear wall. 3) The horizontal loading mode is
89 not consistent with the actual earthquake action, and the accuracy of the structural target
90 displacement is always compromised. In short, the dynamic effect of earthquake is ap-
91 proximately equivalent to static load, which can only give the performance of the struc-
92 ture under a certain load but cannot reflect the performance of the structure under a
93 specific earthquake [21]. Also, it cannot correctly consider the lag of the structure under
94 the earthquake. The possibility of structural collapse may not be found precisely. Addi-
95 tionally, the nonlinear dynamic response characteristics such as stiffness degradation and
96 internal force redistribution in the structure due to instantaneous change in earthquake
97 cannot be calculated with this method [22]. Therefore, the static elasto-plastic analysis
98 method is only suitable for structures with a small number of layers showing natural vi-
99 bration period of less than 2s at first mode of vibration [23].
100 In view of this, this article is based on the large-scale general finite element
101 software ABAQUS, using its rich element and material library, and powerful nonlinear
102 calculation functions, to carry out dynamic elasto-plastic time history analysis of a super
103 high-rise structure under rare earthquakes. The elastic-plastic deformation check
104 calculation under rare earthquakes provides a useful reference and reference.

105 2. Materials and Methods

106 2.1 Materials
107 Steel-concrete composite construction defines structural steel sectional element
108 encased in concrete or concrete filled steel tublars in case of columns and the reinforced
109 cement concrete deck slab. These are connected to the steel sectional beam by means of
110 shear connectors, so that the two components will act together as a single component. A
111 15-storey RCC and composite building is selected for analysis. Fig. (1) shows a building
112 with 5 x 6 bays and centre-centre distance between two grids is 6 m x 4 m. The
113 dimensions of the building are 30 m x 24 m. The total 15-storeys of the building and
114 height of each storey is 3 m. For the respective floor plan, the building details and
115 loading conditions are presented in Table.1. For the same building plan, a comparative
116 study is carried out between Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) and composite system
117 of construction. Loading conditions for both the type of structure is assumed to be same.
118 The total height of the structure is 45 m, which exceeds the maximum applicable height
119 of A-level high-rise structures. According to the code for seismic design of buildings [24],
120 the seismic fortification intensity of the super high-rise structure was 9 degrees. The
121 design basic seismic acceleration was 0.45g.
122
 Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 4 of 20

123
124 Figure 1. Planar diagram of structure.
125 Table 1. Input parameters of RCC and composite structure.
Description RCC structure Composite structure
Plan dimension 80x25 m 80x25 m
Height of building 45 m 45 m
Height of each storey 3m 3m
Height of parapet 1.5 m 1.5 m
Depth of foundation 5m 5m
Size of columns 450x1000mm CFST
Size of beam 300x650mm ISMB 450
Thickness of slab 140mm 140mm
Seismic zone III III
Importance factor 1.0 1.0
Wind speed 60 m/s 60 m/s
Zone factor 0.15 0.15
Damping ratio 5% 5%
Seismic intensity 9 o 9o
Floor finish 1.0 kN/m2 1.0 kN/m2
Live load 5.0 kN/m2 5.0 kN/m2
Density of concrete 25 kN/m3 25 kN/m3
Density of brick 20 kN/m3 20 kN/m3
Density of steel 7850 kN/m3 7850 kN/m3
Grade of concrete M20 M20
Grade of steel Fe415 Fe415
Soil Type Hard soil Hard soil

126 2.2 Methodology

127 In recent decades, researchers from various countries have been developing com-
128 puter software for structural elastoplastic analysis. DRAIN-2D is the earliest elas-
129 to-plastic analysis program for plane structures. This computer codes can perform static
 Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 5 of 20

130 and dynamic elasto-plastic analysis of multi-storey buildings. CANNY program uses
131 equivalent beam elements at both ends or at plastic hinge to simulate the behaviour of
132 frames, beams, columns, multi-spring models, shear walls and rigid slab [4].
133 ETABS/SAP2000 softwares are also useful for elastic-plastic static analysis, pseu-
134 do-dynamic analysis, dynamic time history response analysis of the structures [25]. The
135 elastoplastic dynamic response analysis software EPDA developed by Chinese academy
136 of building research [26]. This tool uses the fiber models to simulate the behaviour of steel
137 and reinforced concrete beams and supports, elastoplastic shells and shear walls of
138 high-rise buildings. These softwares cannot simulate centralized plastic hinge element of
139 the beam and column more accurately and there is lack of an ideal calculation model for
140 the elasto-plastic analysis of the RCC and composite structure. Also, the horizontal
141 loading mode is not consistent with the actual earthquake action, and the accuracy of the
142 structural target displacement is always compromised in above softwares.
143 To overcome above computational problems, a finite element software ABAQUS is
144 selected in this study to compare the RCC and composite building. ABAQUS has good
145 performance in simulating the failure of concrete under cyclic loading and is suitable for
146 dynamic elasticity analysis of complex concrete structures [27, 28]. For the concrete
147 damage plastic model, the elastic stage is realized by defining the elastic modulus and
148 ultimate elastic tensile and compressive stress of the concrete. The elastic-plastic stage is
149 determined by the specification for design of concrete structures [24].

150 2.2.1 ABAQUS computation

151 ABAQUS computer code was used in this study to create the finite element model
152 under pseudo-static cyclic loading conditions. Among them, the basic tension
153 compression curve method was adopted for concrete constitutive material [29]. The
154 calculation formula of stress-strain curve of concrete under uniaxial compression are
155 given in Eq. (1) to (4):
156 (1)
[ ]
157 { (2)

158 (3)

159 (4)

160 where: 𝛼t is the parameter of concrete’s stress-strain curve under uniaxial tension, and
161 equal to 2.0024. c = 105/(2.2+34.7/𝑓c ) = 3.34×104 . 𝑓tm is concrete’s uniaxial tensile strength,
162 𝑓tm = 0.395 𝑓cm0.55(1–1.645𝛿c)0.45𝛼c2 = 2.53 MPa, and 𝛼c2 is the brittleness reduction constant
163 of high strength concrete, and equal to 1.0. 𝛿c is the constant of variation, which is
164 estimated from the formula of 𝑓cm = 𝑓ck/(1–1.645𝛿c ) and equal to 𝛿c = 0.237. tm is
165 concrete’s peak tensile strain and related to the measured value of uniaxial tensile
166 strength, which is taken as 1.08×10-4. t is the concrete’s damage development parameter
167 at uniaxial tension.
 Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 6 of 20

168 In ABAQUS software, there are three concrete models that can be used directly.
169 First is concrete damage plastic model that can simulate the damage of concrete from.
170 Second is double broken line model which can be used as steel constitutive model. Third
171 is cooling model and pre-stress of RCC members was analyzed by this model, and the
172 cooling value was calculated according to the Eq. (5):

173 (5)

174 In Eq. (5), 𝛼 is the coefficient of expansion of RCC and composite members, and equal to
175 1.0×10-5. The embedded region technique was selected to insert the energy consuming
176 steel stirrups and bars into the concrete. The friction between the joints of two segments
177 and between the segments and the column bottom selected by the surface to surface
178 contact method. The tensile damage variables and compression damage variables of
179 concrete adopted from the Minh et al. [30] study.

180 2.2.1 Dynamic elasto-plastic analysis

181 Within the framework ABAQUS software, the dynamic elasto-plastic time history
182 analysis of the multi-storey RCC and composite building was carried out to explore the
183 dynamic elasto-plastic time history analysis of complex building. Dynamic elasto-plastic
184 time history analysis directly inputs seismic wave data into the structure as an elasto-
185 plastic vibration system and obtains the whole process of the internal force and defor-
186 mation of the structure during ground acceleration. This method reflects the structural
187 response caused by the seismic action at each moment, including the deformation, stress,
188 and damage morphology (cracking and failure) of the structure [31]. In short, static
189 elasto-plastic analysis can usually only perform qualitative analysis of the structure,
190 while dynamic analysis can not only perform qualitative analysis of the structure, but
191 also gives the quantitative performance of the structure under a major earthquake.
192 The dynamic elasto-plastic analysis method has fewer simplified assumptions for
193 the structure. It is a more accurate method to calculate the elasto-plastic deformation of
194 the structure under the action of an earthquake. But the method is still difficult to be
195 widely used in practice. However, with the continuous development of theoretical
196 research and the continuous improvement in computer software and hardware, this
197 method has begun to be applied to the analysis of a small number of super high-rise and
198 complex large-scale structures [32].

199 2.2.3 Effective stiffness

200 The effective stiffness is the slope of a line between the origin and the any point on
201 the skeleton curve. Also, this is the ratio of the horizontal and horizontal coordinates of
202 the point, which is expressed in Eq. (6)

203 (6)
 Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 7 of 20

204 where 𝐹i is the negative and positive ultimate load of the corresponding storey when the
205 𝑖-th load level is selected; and ∆i is the negative and positive ultimate displacement of
206 the corresponding storey when the 𝑖-th load level is loaded.

207 3. Results
208 ABAQUS finite element model of the super high-rise building is shown in Fig. 2.
209 The beams, columns and steel bars are separately modeled using solid C3D8R elements
210 and truss T3D2R elements and are coupled with degrees of freedom using EMBED
211 technology. The analysis of shear wall is simulated by shell elements by adopting REBAR
212 technology.

213
214 Figure 2. Finite element model of ABAQUS.

215 Acceleration, inter-storey displacement under common rare earthquake,

216 displacement and shear force history curves of elastic and elasto-plastic analysis under
217 rare earthquakes, plastic deformation distribution under rare earthquakes and plastic
218 strain of coupling beam is studied in this section.

219 3.1 Peak Acceleration

220 The peak acceleration of the RCC and composite building is studied by ABAQUS
221 software. For this purpose, the relationship between the peak acceleration and time is
222 plotted in Fig. (3). The peak acceleration of 300 cm/s2 of RCC building was recorded
223 without frequency modulation at seismic wave duration of 4 s (Fig. 3a). Fig. 3(b) shows
224 the peak acceleration of the composite building. The maximum peak acceleration of 200
225 cm/s2 was recorded at seismic wave duration of 6 s (Fig. 3b). The peak acceleration of the
226 composite building was lower as compare to RCC building.

Maximum acceleration Maximum acceleration

227

228 Figure 3. Building acceleration at seismic wave duration, (a) RCC building and (b)
229 composite building.

230 3.2 Storey Displacement

231 The dynamic analysis of the structure shows that the first three vibration periods of
232 the structure are 2.5s (longitudinal vibration), 1.12 (transverse vibration), and 0.98s
 Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 8 of 20

233 (torsion). Under the common earthquake action, the displacement of first four stories
234 increased slowly and then rapidly increased in both RCC and composite structure (Fig.
235 4a). The displacement of RCC and composite structure almost linearly increased under
236 rare earthquake (Fig. 4b). Because the rigidity of the structure was less than that of the
237 4th floor, so the elastoplastic inter-layer displacement suddenly increases on the 5th
238 floor, and the structure changes from the 6th floor or above. The maximum inter-storey
239 displacement of 15th floor, under common earthquake, was 0.009 m and 0.0079 m of
240 RCC and composite structure was measured, respectively (Fig. 4a). Under rare
241 earthquakes, the elasto-plastic inter-story displacement of the structure are distributed
242 unevenly on each floor (Fig. 4b). The overall trend is that the lower floors are small, and
243 the upper floors are large. The maximum elasto-plastic displacement between the top
244 floors was more, but the displacement value between floors under the "big earthquake"
245 did not exceed the "Code for Seismic Design of Buildings".
16 18
RCC RCC
Composite Composite
14 16

12 14
Floor number

12
10
Floor number

10
8
8
6
6
4
4
2
2
0 0
0.000 0.004 0.008 0.012 0.002 0.004 0.006 0.008
246 Displacement/m Displacement/m

247 Figure 4. Inter-storey displacement number, (a) displacement under common

248 earthquake and (b) displacement under rare earthquake.
249 3.3. Displacement History
250 GB50011-2001 standard demands the limit of 1/100, and the super high-rise
251 structure should meet the requirement of "not falling under a major earthquake". Under
252 common earthquake, the apex displacement time history of elastic and elasto-plastic
253 deformation of the both RCC and composite building is presented in Fig. (5). Under
254 common earthquake, deformation of the RCC structure starts at 1s and the deformation
255 of the composite building starts at 1.5 s (Fig. 5a). Under rare earthquake, deformation of
256 the RCC structure starts at 1.8 s and the deformation of the composite building starts at
257 1.6 s (Fig. 5b). The comparison of the displacement history displays that the RCC
258 structure shows the elasto-plastic deformation at 1.4 s of the seismic wave input.
259 However, the composite building enters into the elasto-plastic deformation at 1.55 s of
260 the seismic wave. Composite building showed more resistance under earthquake loading
261 as compare to RCC building.
 Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 9 of 20

262

263 Figure 5. Displacement history curve of RCC and composite building. (a) under
264 common earthquake, and (b) under rare earthquake.
265 3.4 Plastic Strain
266 Number of coupling beam are presented in Fig. (6). According to the results of the
267 elasto-plastic analysis, the plastic hinge first appeared at the end of the connecting beam
268 of the longitudinal (circumferential) seismic wall under rare earthquake (Fig. 7). The
269 effective plastic strain energy clearly shows the distribution of the plastic hinge (Fig. 7).
270 Shear walls at the two ends of the connecting beam also appear on the 3 to 5 floors (Fig.
271 7). It can also be found from Fig. (7) that the plastic deformation of most of the connecting
272 beams of the structure from the 11th layer and above is zero. Only a few connecting
273 beams enter the plastic state, and the shear wall basically maintain flexibility (Fig. 8).
274 Subsequently, plastic regions appeared in the upper and lower connecting beams at L8-3
275 (Fig. 9). Plastic hinges also appeared at the ends of the frame beams and part of the frame
276 beams connected to the seismic wall. At the both ends of the connecting beam the
277 equivalent plastic strain of the beam L8-3 reaches the maximum value of 7.93 x 10-3 (Fig.
278 9).

279

280 Figure 6. Numbering of coupling beam.

281 Under the action of rare earthquakes, L8 and L15 connecting beams fully showed
282 plasticity and have the 3.4 x 10-2 and 1.3 x 10-2 plastic deformation strain (Fig. 7), and they
283 are the first to enter yield, delaying the plastic development of the joint walls on both
284 sides. They are weak structural members. From the overall point of view, the plastic
285 strain development of the inner part of the shear wall is more serious than that of the
286 outer part, and the plastic development of the longitudinal wall and the connecting beam
287 is more serious than that of the transverse wall and the connecting beam [33]. When the
288 inter-layer displacement angle of a structure with a shear wall under elasto-plastic
289 deformation meets the limit of the specification, the bottom wall (3 to 5 layers) will be
290 compressed and yielded, and the yield area will lose its bearing capacity through the
291 entire wall. The possibility of collapse is inconsistent with the previous conclusion of “not
 Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 10 of 20

292 collapsed by a major earthquake”. Therefore, for the super high-rise frame-shear wall
293 structure, only the elastoplastic inter-story displacement is used to judge the collapse
294 resistance of super high-rise building.

L1 L2-L3 L6-L7 L13 L15 L8

295

296 Figure 7. Plastic deformation distribution under rare earthquakes.

297

298 Figure 8. Plastic strain comparison of coupling beam L8-8~10.

299

300 Figure 9. Plastic strain comparison of coupling beam L8-3~4.

301 Under the action of "large earthquake", considering the second-order effect of grav-
302 ity and large deformation, the structure has no large-area of plastic damage except a few
303 load-bearing wall (Fig. 8). But the plastic deformation of some coupling beams is too
304 large, such as the maximum equivalent plastic strain of coupling beam L8-3 on the third
305 floor is up to 7.93 x 10-3 (Fig. 9). In this view, dampers should be added to the coupling
306 beam (L8-3) to reduce the damage of the coupling beam and plastic damage area of the
307 bearing wall.

308 3.5 Lateral Drift and Displacement

 Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 11 of 20

309 The history of horizontal displacement of columns of RCC and composite building
310 under common and rare earthquake are shown in Fig. (10). The energy dissipation and
311 the horizontal load carrying ability of the RCC and composite columns under common
312 earthquake increased slowly as the columns top displacement rose as shown in Fig. 10(a).
313 Under rare earthquake, the value of the lateral drift and displacement were less (Fig.
314 10b). The hysteretic curves analysis of the columns of RCC and composite building
315 showed the strength degradation phenomena. This was due to the cracks, that can be
316 restored to the closed state when the members were loaded reversely [34]. Therefore, the
317 force required was smaller when the horizontal displacement of RCC and composite
318 columns was restored to zero under rare earthquake (Fig. 10b). So, the hysteresis curves
319 of RCC and composite were almost similar. In case of common earthquake, the energy
320 dissipation capacity of the both RCC and composite columns was weak. It can be clearly
321 observed from the hysteretic curve that the energy dissipation capacity and key points
322 of ABAQUS results for RCC and composite members were very similar to each other’s,
323 so the proposed finite element model can be used for common and rare earthquake
324 analysis of buildings.

325
326 Figure 10. Lateral drift, (a) under common earthquake, and (b) under rare earthquake.

327 4. Discussions

328 Equivalent static analysis is performed on both RCC and composite structures by
329 using ABAQUS software. Loads are computed and distributed according to IS1893: 2002
330 standard. Results are compared with respect to the following parameters.

331 4.1 Storey Stiffness

332 The storey stiffness of both RCC and composite structure is studied through
333 ABAQUS computer code under static load. From the finite element analysis, it was
334 observed that the longitudinally and transverse storey stiffness of the RCC structure was
335 less as compared to composite structure (Fig. 11). It was about 8%-10% less in
336 longitudinal direction and 9%-11% less in transverse direction than composite structure
337 (Fig. 11). The longitudinal and transverse storey stiffness for composite structure is more
338 as compared to RCC structure.
 Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 12 of 20

9000 9000

Stiffness(KN/mm)

Stiffness(KN/mm)
8000 RCC Composite 8000 RCC Composite
7000 7000
6000 6000
5000 5000
4000 4000
3000 3000
2000 2000
1000 1000
0 0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

339
Storey Storey

340 Figure 11. Comparison of storey stiffness, (a) longitudinal stiffness and (b) transverse
341 stiffness.

342 4.2 Lateral Displacement

343 Under static load, the lateral displacement of the RCC and composite structures
344 increased as the numbers of storey increased, and the increasing trending was almost
345 same for both structures (Fig. 12). The lateral displacement in RCC structure was slightly
346 higher than that of in composite structure but it is within the permissible limit, by 3% to
347 4% in longitudinal direction and transverse direction, respectively, than that in
348 composite structure (Fig. 12). Longitudinal displacement of RCC and composite
349 structure first increased linearly as storey number increased up to 12 and then it slowly
350 increased (Fig. 12a). Also, transverse displacement of RCC and composite structure
351 increased linearly as the storey number increased, but the increasing curve was concave
352 down as clearly shown in Fig. 12(b).
20 20
Displacement/cm

Displacement/cm

RCC RCC
15 Composite 15 Composite

10 10
5 5
0 0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16
353 Storey Storey
354 Figure 12. Comparison of displacement (a) longitudinal displacement and (b) transverse
355 displacement.
356 4.3 Storey Drift

357 The numerical results show that the inter-storey drift of the composite structure
358 was comparatively less than RCC structure in both transverse and longitudinal direction
359 (Fig. 13). The story drift is reduced by 2% to 4% and 3% to 5% in transverse and
360 longitudinal directions, respectively. The inter-storey drift of both RCC and composite
361 structures decreased almost linearly as the number of storey increased up to 12 storey in
362 longitudinal direction, and after that the drift of composite member starts to increase
363 slowly as shown in Fig. 13(a). But, in case of transverse direction, the drift of the
364 composite structure starts to rise after 13 storey (Fig. 13b). The story drift is reduced by
365 35% to 50% and 27% to 38% in transverse and longitudinal directions, respectively.
 Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 13 of 20

4 4
RCC RCC
3 Composite 3 Composite

Drift/mm
Drift/mm 2 2

1 1

0 0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16

366 Storey Storey

367 Figure 13. Comparison of storey drifts, (a) longitudinal drift and (b) transverse drift.

368 4.4 Axial and Shear Forces

369 The axial and shear force in the columns structures are also studied by ABAQUSE
370 software at same material properties and numerical results are presented in Fig. (14).
371 The axial force in composite columns was less as compare to RCC columns (Fig. 14). Fig.
372 (14) depicts that the axial force in the composite columns is reduced to 20% - 30% as
373 compared to RCC columns.
10000
Axial force/KN

RCC Composite
8000
6000
4000
2000
0
C11
C13
C15
C17
C19
C21
C23
C1
C3
C5
C7
C9

374 Column
375 Figure 14. Comparison of axial force in columns.
376 The amount of the shear force in the columns of both RCC and composite structure
377 is also estimated for deeper understanding. The shear force in composite columns was
378 less as compare to RCC columns in both longitudinal and transverse direction (Fig. 15).
379 Shear force in composite column is reduced by 24% to 40% and 28% to 44% in
380 longitudinal and transverse directions, respectively, (Fig. 15).
150 150
Shear force/KN

Shear force/KN

RCC Composite RCC Composite

100 100

50 50

0 0
C11
C13
C15
C17
C19
C21
C23

C11
C13
C15
C17
C19
C21
C23
C1
C3
C5
C7
C9

C1
C3
C5
C7
C9

381 Column Column

382 Figure 15. Comparison of shear force in columns, (a) longitudinal shear force and (b)
383 transverse shear force.

384 4.5 Twisting and Bending Moment in Columns

385 The twisting moment in the columns of the RCC structures in both longitudinal and
386 transverse direction was higher as compare to composite members (Fig. 16). Fig. (16)
387 shows that the twisting moments for composite structure reduced by 49% to 65% and
388 48% to 63% in longitudinal and transverse directions, respectively, as compared to RCC
 Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 14 of 20

389 structure. Bending moment in composite columns was reduced up to 22% to 45% in
390 transverse direction and 23% to 47% in longitudinal direction as compared to RCC
391 columns as shown in Fig. 17(ab).
5 5
Twisting moment

Twisting moment
4 RCC Composite 4 RCC Composite
(KN-m)

(KN-m)
3 3
2 2
1 1
0 0

C19
C11
C13
C15
C17

C21
C23

C11
C13
C15
C17
C19
C21
C23
C3
C1
C3
C5
C7
C9

C1

C5
C7
C9
392
Column Column

393 Figure 16. Comparison of twisting moment in columns, (a) longitudinal moment and (b)
394 transverse moment.
400 400
Bending moment

RCC Composite Bending moment RCC Composite

300 300
(KN-m)

(KN-m)
200 200
100 100
0 0
C11
C13
C15
C17
C19
C21
C23
C1
C3
C5
C7
C9

C11
C13
C15
C17
C19
C21
C23
C1
C3
C5
C7
C9
395
Column Column

396 Figure 17. Comparison of bending moment in columns, (a) longitudinal moment and (b)
397 transverse moment.

398 4.6 Response Spectrums Analysis

399 4.6.1 Time period and frequency

400 Spectrum analysis allow the users to analyze the structure under seismic loading.
401 The increased stiffness of the composite structure results in increased frequency and
402 reduction in time than the RCC structure. The frequency of the composite structure was
403 increased by 10% to 17% whereas time period was reduced by 14% to 29% (Fig. 20). The
404 time period of the both RCC and composite structures first decreased linearly as the
405 modes increased up to 4, after that it rapidly decreased up to 0. 33 s (Fig. 18a). Form
406 mode 5 to 13, the time period of the composite and RCC structures decreased slowly
407 from 0. 33 s to 0. 17 s as clearly observed from the Fig. 18(a). At 14 modes, the time
408 period of the composite structure very sharply increased from 0. 17 s to 1.15 s (Fig. 18a).
409 Fig. 18(b) shows the relationship between the structure’s frequency and modes. As the
410 modes of the both RCC and composite structures increased the frequencies of the
411 structures also increased step by step (Fig. 18b). The increasing trend of frequencies for
412 both RCC and composite structures was same, which shows that proposed numerical
413 method is valid for Response spectrums analysis.
 Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 15 of 20

1.4 10.0
RCC RCC
Composite Composite
1.2
8.0

Frequency (cycle/sec)
Time period (sec)
1.0

0.8 6.0

0.6 4.0
0.4
2.0
0.2

0.0 0.0
1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15 1 3 5 7 9 11 13 15
414 Modes Modes

415 Figure 18. (a) comparison of time-period and (b) comparison of frequency.

416 4.6.2 Storey drift

417 Storey drift under seismic load is also simulated through ABAQUSE software. The
418 maximum longitudinal and transverse drift of different stories of the RCC and
419 composite structures in various hazard levels are presented in Fig. (19). The maximum
420 drift in the upper stories of the structure is less than that of lower stories (Fig. 19). In
421 general, increase in excitation intensity and soil softness leads to more maximum drift in
422 the lower stories. As compare to RCC structure, the storey drift of the composite
423 structures under dynamic load was less in both longitudinal and transverse direction as
424 shown in Fig. 19(ab). Fig. (19) also shows the relationship between drift and numbers of
425 stories. As the number of stories increased, the drift of the both structures (RCC and
426 composite) decreased linearly.
1.6 1.6
1.4 RCC Composite 1.4 RCC Composite

1.2 1.2
Drift/mm

Drift/mm

1.0 1.0
0.8 0.8
0.6 0.6
0.4 0.4
0.2 0.2
0.0 0.0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
427 Storey Storey

428 Figure 19. Comparison of storey drifts, (a) longitudinal drift and (b) transverse drift.
429 Under dynamic load, the displacement and drift of the RCC building was higher
430 (Fig. 19a). As the load increased 0 to 400 (kN), the building displacement and drift
431 increased sharply up to 40 cm and 1.0 (%), respectively, as shown in Fig. 19(a). After that
432 the displacement and drift rose very slowly up to 57 cm and 1.7 (%), respectively. At
433 last, the displacement and drift starts to decreased slowly. In case of composite building,
434 as the load increased the displacement and drift rapidly rose up to 30 mm and 0.8 %
435 (Fig. 19b). After that the displacement and drift slowly increased as shown in Fig. 19(b).
 Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 16 of 20

436 The numerical results and experimental results were almost similar, which shows the
437 accuracy of the proposed method.

438

439 Figure 20. Comparison of overall displacement, (a) RCC (b) Composite
440 According to the results of the Fig. (19) and Fig. (20), for optimum rehabilitation of
441 RCC and composite structure, no damper is required in the stories whose maximum
442 drift does not violate the code limit in all three hazard levels [35]. Although this
443 weakness can be neglected here, and it shows that the determination of optimum
444 damper distribution based on retrofit-pushover analysis of the structure can be
445 unconservative [36].

446 4.6.3 Shear force

447 The shear force of the RCC and composite structures is also investigated under
448 seismic load by using ABAQUS software. The longitudinal shear force in all composite
449 columns is reduced by 16% to 27% than RCC columns (Fig. 21a). The shear force in
450 longitudinal direction was more for RCC columns than composite columns, and it is
451 reduced by 31% to 43% (Fig. 21a). The shear force in exterior columns was also observed
452 to be more than interior columns in transverse direction and for composite columns, and
453 it is reduced by 29% to 44% (Fig. 21b). The shear force in transverse direction was more
454 for RCC columns as compared to composite columns, and it is reduced by 28% to 39%
455 (Fig. 21b).
120 120
Shear force/KN

Shear force/KN

100 RCC Composite 100 RCC Composite

80 80
60 60
40 40
20 20
0 0
C13
C11

C15
C17
C19
C21
C23
C1
C3
C5
C7
C9

C11
C13
C15
C17
C19
C21
C23
C1
C3
C5
C7
C9

456
Column Column

457 Figure 21. Comparison of shear force in columns, (a) longitudinal shear force and (b)
458 transverse shear force.

459 4.6.4 Twisting and bending moment

460 Under dynamic load, the twisting moment in longitudinal direction and in
461 transverse direction for both RCC and composite structure is studied with ABAQUS
462 software and the results are presented in Fig. (22). The twisting moment in longitudinal
463 direction and in transverse direction were higher in RCC structure as compare to
 Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 17 of 20

464 composite member. Twisting moment in columns of composite structure is reduced

465 from 38% to 66% and 38% to 60% about in longitudinal and transverse directions,
466 respectively, as compared to RCC structure (Fig. 22ab). The bending moment in
467 composite columns in longitudinal direction it was reduced only by 25% to 42% and in
468 transverse direction it was reduced by 24% to 41% (Fig. 23). The bending moment in
469 composite structure was lower as compared to RCC structure in both longitudinal and
470 transverse direction as shown in Fig. 23(ab).
2.5 2.5
Twisting moment

Twisting moment
RCC Composite RCC Composite
2.0 2.0
(KN-m)

(KN-m)
1.5 1.5
1.0 1.0
0.5 0.5
0.0 0.0
C1
C3
C5
C7
C9
C11
C13
C15
C17
C19
C21
C23

C1
C3
C5
C7
C9
C11
C13
C15
C17
C19
C21
C23
471
Column Column

472 Figure 22. Comparison of twisting moment in columns, (a) longitudinal moment and (b)
473 transverse moment.
250 250
Bending moment

Bending moment

RCC Composite RCC Composite

200 200
(KN-m)

(KN-m)

150 150
100 100
50 50
0 0
C1
C3
C5
C7
C9

C1
C3
C5
C7
C9
C11
C13
C15
C17
C19
C21
C23

C11
C13
C15
C17
C19
C21
C23
474
Column Column

475 Figure 23. Comparison of bending moment in columns, (a) longitudinal moment and (b)
476 transverse moment.
477 According to numerical results, composite structure is more durable that RCC
478 structure under both static and dynamic loading conditions. But, many structural
479 engineers are not welcoming the use of steel-concrete composite buildings because of its
480 unfamiliarity, lack of awareness and its analysis and design seems to be little complex
481 [37, 38]. The real attraction of composite construction is based on having an effective
482 connection between structural steel and reinforced concrete, and it is this connection that
483 allows a transfer of forces and gives composite members their unique behaviour [39]. So,
484 shear connections are prominent and very essential component for composite
485 construction. Shear connectors improve the load carrying capacity of the member and
486 the overall rigidity of RCC or composite members. The two primary functions of shear
487 connectors are (a) at the interface of beam and slab, this transmits the shear acting along
488 longitudinal, and (b) helps in avoiding the steel beam and concrete slab splitting at the
489 interface/junction [39].

490 5. Conclusions
491 In this research a new elastic-plastic dynamics time history analysis of 15-storey
492 RCC and composite building were studied through ABAQUS software under static and
 Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 18 of 20

493 dynamic load. Several interesting parameters, such as; peak acceleration, storey stiffness,
494 displacement, plastic strain, drift, shear force, shear force, twisting moment, bending
495 moment, time period, and frequency were simulated for both RCC and composite
496 structures. It has been found from the comparative study that the use of composite
497 members in construction industry is more effective and economic than using RCC
498 members. Composite structures are found to be the best mode of construction for
499 high-rise building while comparing with the conventional RCC structures as they serve
500 well for various parameters like, stiffness, displacement, storey drift and axial force,
501 shear force and moments. It was also pointed out that the large-scale finite element
502 software ABAQUS is suitable for dynamic elastoplastic analysis of complex structures.
503 Under rare earthquakes, the elastoplastic dynamic time history analysis is more effective
504 and reliable method for super high-rise structures to achieve the fortification goal
505 without collapsing.
506 However, there are still many unresolved problems in structural damage assessment
507 through this software, such as the definition of material damage, the combination of
508 displacement and cumulative energy consumption, and the input of seismic waves,
509 which are currently controversial issues and must be investigated in future for deeper
510 understanding.

511 Author Contributions: S.Z.: methodology, formal analysis, funding acquisition, visualization, and
512 validation. S.W.: project administration, editing, funding acquisition, data curation, and validation.
513 Z.A.: writing, investigation, and visualization. X.Z.: writing, draft preparation, conceptualization,
514 software, and resources. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manu-
515 script.
516 Funding: Please add: “This research received no external funding” or “This research was funded
517 by NAME OF FUNDER, grant number XXX” and “The APC was funded by XXX”. Check carefully
518 that the details given are accurate and use the standard spelling of funding agency names at
519 https://search.crossref.org/funding. Any errors may affect your future funding.
520 Data Availability Statement: The data used to support of this study are included within the article.
521 Conflicts of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

522 References
523 1. Sharma, AS.; Priya, RA.; Thirugnanam, R.; Priya P.; Comparative Study on Multi-storey Structure of RCC and Composite
524 Material. 2016;9(2).
525 2. Shen Y, Yarnold MJJoBE. A Novel Sensitivity Analysis of Commercial Building Hybrid Energy-Structure Performance.
526 2021:102808.
527 3. Charantimath S, Cholekar SB, Birje Manjunath MJC, Environmental Research I. Comparative Study on Structural Parameter of
528 RCC and Composite Building. 2014:2224-5790.
529 4. Sangtiani S, Satyanarayana JJSI. Performance of tall buildings under lateral loads with different types of structural systems.
530 2017;8(3):1014-22.
531 5. Kayvani K. Design of high-rise buildings: past, present and future. 23rd Australasian Conference on the Mechanics of
532 Structures and Materials (ACMSM23), Southern Cross University, Lismore, Australia2014. p. 15-20.
533 6. Liu CJCC. Optimal design of high-rise building wiring based on ant colony optimization. 2019;22(2):3479-86.
534 7. Pandey R. Comparative Seismic Analysis of RCC, Steel & Steel-Concrete Composite Frame 2014.
535 8. Zhiyong Y, Jifeng H, Hong S, Yungui L, Dalin CJBS. Elastic-plastic Static and Dynamics Analysis of Steel Concrete Composite
 Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 19 of 20

536 Structure under Rare Earthquake [J]. 2006;36(65-8.

537 9. Chen X, Huang J, Yang H, Peng JJJoCP. Approaching low-energy high-rise building by integrating passive architectural design
538 with photovoltaic application. 2019;220(313-30.
539 10. Afzal M, Liu Y, Cheng JC, Gan VJJJoCP. Reinforced concrete structural design optimization: A critical review. 2020;260(120623.

541 11. Papavasileiou GS, Charmpis DCJC, Structures. Seismic design optimization of multi–storey steel–concrete composite
542 buildings. 2016;170(49-61.
543 12. Shooli AR, Vosoughi A, Banan MRJASC. A mixed GA-PSO-based approach for performance-based design optimization of 2D
544 reinforced concrete special moment-resisting frames. 2019;85(105843.
545 13. Gholizadeh S, Danesh M, Gheyratmand CJC, Structures. A new Newton metaheuristic algorithm for discrete
546 performance-based design optimization of steel moment frames. 2020;234(106250.
547 14. Cicconi P, Castorani V, Germani M, Mandolini M, Vita AJEwC. A multi-objective sequential method for manufacturing cost
548 and structural optimization of modular steel towers. 2020;36(2):475-97.
549 15. Di Trapani F, Malavisi M, Marano GC, Sberna AP, Greco RJES. Optimal seismic retrofitting of reinforced concrete buildings by
550 steel-jacketing using a genetic algorithm-based framework. 2020;219(110864.
551 16. Prajapati BD, Panchal DJIJoAiE, Technology. Study of seismic and wind effect on multi storey RCC, steel and composite
552 building. 2013;6(4):1836.
553 17. Kumawat MS, Kalurkar LJIJoRiE, Technology. Analysis and design of multistory building using composite structure.
554 2014;3(2).
555 18. Tian X, Su M, Lian M, Wang F, Li SJJoCSR. Seismic behavior of K-shaped eccentrically braced frames with high-strength steel:
556 Shaking table testing and FEM analysis. 2018;143(250-63.
557 19. Li Q, Chen JJC, structures. Nonlinear elastoplastic dynamic analysis of single-layer reticulated shells subjected to earthquake
558 excitation. 2003;81(4):177-88.
559 20. Wagh SA, Waghe UJJoER, Applications I. Comparative study of RCC and steel concrete composite structures. 2014:2248-9622.
560 21. Cholekar SB, Basavalingappa SJIRJoE, Technology e-I. Comparative analysis of multistoried RCC and Composite building due
561 to mass irregularity. 2015:2395-0056.
562 22. Raju KR, Shereef M, Iyer NR, Gopalakrishnan S. Analysis and design of RC tall building subjected to wind and earthquake
563 loads. The Eighth Asia-Pacific Conference on Wind Engineering2013. p. 844-52.
564 23. [23] Limbare PP, Dode PJIJoE, Sciences A. Comparative study of Reinforced Concrete frame structure Steel-Concrete
565 composite structure subjected to static and dynamic loading. 2018;5(3):257264.
566 24. Darwin D, Dolan CW, Nilson AH. Design of concrete structures: McGraw-Hill Education New York, NY, USA:, 2016.
567 25. Saini M, Singh J, Jhajjar HI. A Review on ETABS to Prevent Seismic Effect on Multi Storey Building.
568 26. Zhang Y. Static and Dynamic Elastic-plastic Analysis of a Storey-adding Structure. Advanced Materials Research: Trans Tech
569 Publ, 2014. p. 1218-21.
570 27. Fawaz G, Murcia-Delso JJES. Three-dimensional finite element modeling of RC columns subjected to cyclic lateral loading.
571 2021;239(112291.
572 28. Feng D-C, Wu G, Lu YJEs. Finite element modelling approach for precast reinforced concrete beam-to-column connections
573 under cyclic loading. 2018;174(49-66.
574 29. Sun J, Ci M, Xu G, Wang R, Ni W, Xu Z, et al. Progressive Failure of Precast Shear Wall Structure for RC Composite Column
575 Confined Uniform Hollow Panels under Cyclic Loading. KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering. 2023;27(5):2131-47.
576 30. Minh H-L, Khatir S, Wahab MA, Cuong-Le T. A concrete damage plasticity model for predicting the effects of compressive
577 high-strength concrete under static and dynamic loads. Journal of Building Engineering. 2021;44(103239.
 Appl. Sci. 2023, 13, x FOR PEER REVIEW 20 of 20

578 31. Singh GJT. Dynamic analysis of diagrid structural system in high rise steel buildings. 2018;9(8):71-9.
579 32. Mujawar M, Doshi TD. Seismic Behaviour of RC Building with Multiple Soft Storey Considering Different Soil Conditions.
580 Recent Advances in Materials, Mechanics and Structures: Select Proceedings of ICMMS 2022: Springer, 2022. p. 393-402.
581 33. Peng S, Xu C, Lu M, Yang JJEs. Experimental research and finite element analysis on seismic behavior of CFRP-strengthened
582 seismic-damaged composite steel-concrete frame columns. 2018;155(50-60.
583 34. Patton ML, Warsi SBF, Adak D. Experimental and numerical study on the structural behaviour of HST, RCC and CFST stub
584 columns under pure axial compression. Innovative Infrastructure Solutions. 2023;8(2):74.
585 35. Pardeshi RT, Singh PA, Patil YD. Performance assessment of innovative concave type shear connector in a composite structure
586 subjected to push-out loading. Materials Today: Proceedings. 2022;65(676-80.
587 36. Dhannur B, Sushmitha N. Performance assessment of composite steel building with considering plan irregularity before and
588 after Retrofit”-Pushover Analysis. Materials Today: Proceedings. 2023.
589 37. Johnson RPJJotSD. Research on steel-concrete composite beams. 1970;96(3):445-59.
590 38. Shariati A, RamliSulong N, Shariati MJIjops. Various types of shear connectors in composite structures: A review.
591 2012;7(22):2876-90.
592 39. Zaveri BH, Gadhiya JA, Dhameliya HKJIJoIRiS, Engineering, Technology. A review on the comparative study of steel, RCC
593 and composite building. 2016;5(1):354-65.

594 Disclaimer/Publisher’s Note: The statements, opinions and data contained in all publications are solely those of the individual
595 author(s) and contributor(s) and not of MDPI and/or the editor(s). MDPI and/or the editor(s) disclaim responsibility for any injury
596 to people or property resulting from any ideas, methods, instructions or products referred to in the content.

597