Torsional irregularity leads to increased unequal displacements at the extremes of the building and may
cause distress in the lateral load resisting elements at the edges. Torsional irregularity is caused by
plan asymmetry, asymmetrical distribution of mass and stiffness, asymmetrical configuration of the
lateral load resisting systems. In the present study, a model G+2 storey was considered to analyze the
torsional behavior of the structure subjected to base excitation using shake table test setup. A physical
model was constructed and tested to study its torsional behavior under seismic loading. A similar
model was developed and analyzed using SAP-2000 software. From the experimental test results, it was
observed that, three translational modes and two torsional modes of vibrations were found to exist in
the structure.
Key words: Dynamic loading, Torsion, stiffness, symmetrical structures, shake table.
INTRODUCTION
Torsional effects are the catastrophic occurrences in
many multi-storied buildings during strong earthquakes
and have a major influence for the collapse of structure.
This led to the inclusion of torsional effects in existing
codes and modification of the existing codal provisions to
include the torsional effects. It has been a real challenge
to reduce the inelastic translational displacements of
critical elements of a storey during twisting moment.
There had been good research studies to analyze the
torsional effects of multistoried structures and discussed
further in detail.
The methodology for modeling the inelastic torsional
response of buildings in nonlinear static (pushover)
analysis enables reproduction to the highest possible
degree the results of inelastic dynamic time history
analysis. The load vectors were defined using dynamic
elastic spectral analysis while the dynamic characteristics
of an equivalent single mass system, which incorporates
both translational and torsional modes, were derived
using an extension of earlier methods based on the
single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) approach.
A
superposition-based analysis procedure was proposed by
205
206
structure, the impact was given at the centre of the beam of first
floor and the response was measured at the centre of the beam of
all the three floor levels. Similarly the impact was given at second
and third floor levels and the response was measured at all the floor
levels.
Torsional mode
In order to measure the frequencies of the torsional mode of the
structure, the impact was given at one end of the beam of first floor
and the response was measured at the other end of the beam at all
the floor levels. Similarly, the impact was given at the ends of the
beam at second and third floor levels and the response was
measured at the other end of the beam at all the floor levels.
207
208
Mode 2 - 19.375Hz
3.2
2
floor
Floor
1.6
0
0
0.00004
0.00008
0.00012
Drift ratio
Figure 6. Mode-2.
Mode 3 - 33.75Hz
0.25
Earthquake-1: Time History Data
Floor
0.00
floor
(m/s2)
Acceleration
(m/sec^2)
Acceleration
Excitation-Z
1
Earthquake - 1
-0.25
0
10
Time
(Sec)
Time
(Seconds)
15
20
0
Figure 7. Mode-3.
Floor
Floor
Figure 5. Mode-1.
209
Floor
0
Figure 9. Torsional Mode-2.
210
Method
Free vibration test
Shake table test
Beam-slab model
Rigid diaphragm model
Translational
Mode 1
Translational
Mode 2
Translational
Mode 3
5.5
5.45
5.43
6.96
19.375
19.53
16.57
22.27
33.75
33.61
27.86
39.90
Torsional
Mode 1
8.25
8.22
6.00
7.81
Torsional
Mode 2
26.625
26.755
19.29
25.51
Earthquake
EQ1
EQ2
Columns
Stiffer side columns
Flexible side columns
Floor II (m/s2)
0.41
0.495
Floor I (m/s2)
0.24
0.30
0.33
0.37
0.23
0.26
0.16
0.2
Earthquake
EQ1
EQ2
Columns
Stiffer side columns
Flexible side columns
Floor II (m/s2)
0.136
0.136
Floor I (m/s2)
0.076
0.077
0.074
0.074
0.051
0.051
0.029
0.029
Earthquake
EQ1
EQ2
Columns
Stiffer side columns
Flexible side columns
Floor II
0.00028
0.00034
Floor I
0.00012
0.00015
0.00021
0.00024
0.00015
0.00017
0.00007
0.00008
Earthquake
EQ1
EQ2
Columns
Stiffer side columns
Flexible side columns
Floor II (m)
0.00008
0.00008
Floor I (m)
0.00004
0.00004
0.00003
0.00003
0.00002
0.00002
0.00001
0.00001
211
Earthquake
Earthquake 1
Earthquake 2
Floor level
Level III
Level II
Level I
Level III
Level II
Level I
0.00007
0.00011
0.00009
0.00008
0.00012
0.00010
REFERENCES
Anil KC (1994). Dynamics of structures - Theory and Applications to
Earthquake Engineering, Prentice hall.
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Earthquake Loads in Asymmetric Building Structures". Unpublished
Report (private distribution only), Faculty Civil Engineering Technion.
I.I.T., Haifa, Israel, Sept. 1975.
Silvia LD, Ilia A (2003), Seismic design of symmetric structures for
accidental torsion, Bull. Earthquake Eng. 1(2) 21-29.
Han-Seon L, Dong-Woo K (2007). Han-Seon Lee, Dong-Woo Ko,
Seismic response characteristics of high-rise RC wall building having
different irregularities in lower stories, Eng. Struct. 29(11). 34-56.
Reinhorn A, Rutenberg A, Gluck J (1977). "Dynamic Torsional Coupling
in Asymmetric Building Structures", Report No. 226, Faculty of Civil
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