EARTHQUAKE TIP -7

HOW BUILDINGS TWIST DURING EARTHQUAKES

- KANCHANA S.P.
1 7th SEMESTER

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 Why a building twists?

2 1. Buildings vibrate back and forth during earthquakes and they behave like a cradle with rope

2. When observed from sky, a building with identical vertical members and that are uniformly placed in the two horizontal directions, when shaken at its base in a certain directions, swings back and forth such that all points move horizontally by same amount in
direction which it is shaken

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3 Buildings subjected to earthquake behaves like,

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4 Behaviour of vertical members in a building

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REASON 1.

1. More mass on one side of the building is the primary cause for the floor to
twist

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6 REASON 2.

Buildings unequal vertical members will also subjected for twisting about
vertical axis

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• Buildings that are irregular shapes in plan tend to twist under
earthquake shaking for ex. In a propped overhanging building

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8 What twist does to building members?
• Twist in buildings, called torsion by engineers, makes different portions at same
floor level to move horizontally by different amounts

• It induces more damage in the frames and walls on the side that moves more

• Many buildings have been seriously affected by this excessive torsional behaviour
during past earthquakes

• It is best to minimize this by twist by ensuring that buildings have symmetry in plan

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THANK YOU

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