- Author
- Goodno, B. J. | Craig, J. I. | Dogan, T. | Towashiraporn, P.
- Title
- Ductile Cladding Connection Systems for Seismic Design.
- Coporate
- Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
- NIST GCR 98-758, October 1998, 177 p.
- Distribution
- AVAILABLE FROM National Technical Information Service (NTIS), Technology Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, Springfield, VA 22161. Telephone: 1-800-553-6847 or 703-605-6000; Fax: 703-605-6900. Website: http://www.ntis.gov
- Keywords
- cladding | seismic design
- Abstract
- Prior analytical and experimental studies by the authors over the past several years have shown that promising levels of seismic response attenuation can be designed into new and existing building structures through use of "advanced" connections for precast cladding systems. This report provides a brief summary of past work then describes analytical and experimental studies of several developmental "advanced" cladding connectors. The connectors were designed to provide ductility and energy dissipation through relative displacements between the structure and the cladding panels. A test fixture designed as part of an earlier doctoral thesis is described along with a summary of the results from a family of flexural connectors developed as part of the same thesis. Tests were performed on flexural and torsional designs as well as on composite laminated neoprene and steel isolating pads enclosed within steel flexures for bearing applications. Nonlinear analytical models developed for the various connector designs were incorporated into existing nonlinear software for time history dynamic analysis of planar structural systems. Optimization of the connector properties for an actual 20 story building application resulted in controlled energy dissipation in the cladding connectors, and reduced demands on the supporting structural framework. Results for this building showed that either up to 41% reduction in peak displacement response could be achieved from the baseline (as-built) configuration by retrofitting advanced cladding connectors, or else as much as a 17% reduction in structural weight (in the longitudinal direction) could be achieved for the same baseline response level. This suggests that use of an energy dissipating cladding system could lead to either improved serviceability (reduced drift) or else a savings in structural steel, or some combination of both.