Devdas Menon

Glass fiber reinforced gypsum (GFRG) wall panels are prefabricated panels with hollow cores, originally developed in Australia and subsequently adopted by India and China for use in buildings. This paper discusses identification and calibration of a suitable hysteretic model for GFRG wall panels filled with reinforced concrete. As considerable pinching was observed in the experimental results, a suitable hysteretic model with pinched hysteretic rule is used to conduct a series of quasi-static as inelastic hysteretic response analyses of GFRG panels with two different widths. The calibration of the pinching model parameters was carried out to approximately match the simulated and experimental responses up to 80% of the peak load in the post peak region. Interestingly, the same values of various parameters (energy dissipation and pinching related parameters) were obtained for all five test specimens. © 2014 Institute of Engineering Mechanics, China Earthquake Administration and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.

Displacement-based design (DBD) methods are emerging as the latest tools for performance-based seismic design and as a viable alternative to conventional force-based design method (FBD). FBD starts with an estimation of base shear force, which is calculated based on the fundamental period and ductility capacity of the structure. This base shear force is distributed to the various floor levels based on the fundamental mode shape, and the structure is designed for these lateral loads. Unlike FBD, DBD method requires explicit consideration of displacements. Typically, DBD determines a target displacement demand and then calculates the required base shear capacity to achieve this demand. In this method, the lateral loads at various floor levels are obtained based on an assumed inelastic displacement profile. This paper presents the findings of a study that uses the FBD method and DBD method to design a typical four-storeyed and a nine-storeyed regular frame. The performances of the frames were assessed using nonlinear time history analysis and their relative performances are reported.

Stepped building' frames, with vertical geometric irregularity, are now increasingly encountered in modern urban construction. This paper proposes a new method of quantifying irregularity in such building frames, accounting for dynamic characteristics (mass and stiffness). The proposed regularity index' provides a basis for assessing the degree of irregularities in a stepped building frame. This paper also proposes a modification of the code specified empirical formula for estimating fundamental period for regular frames, to estimate the fundamental time period of the stepped building frame. The proposed equation for fundamental time periods is expressed as a function of the regularity index. It has been validated for various types of stepped irregular frames. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.

Dynamic effects induced by moving traffic over bridges are traditionally accounted for in design by an equivalent static treatment through the use of amplification factors or impact factors. Though the various bridge design standards around the world specify these factors either as a function of bridge span or fundamental frequency, many other parameters are found to have a strong influence. The topic has been well researched in the past and still continues to be an active area of research, with the renewed interest propelled by the increased awareness about the economy achieved by the use of proper bridge load models. This paper reviews some major factors influencing the dynamic amplification factors of highway bridges and the current research directions in estimation of the same.

Stepped building' frames, with vertical geometric irregularity, are now increasingly encountered in modern urban constructions. This paper proposes a new approach to determine the lateral load pattern, considering the contributions from the higher modes, suitable for pushover analysis of stepped buildings. Also, a modification to the displacement coefficient method of ASCE/SEI 41-13 is proposed, based on nonlinear time history analysis of 78 stepped frames. When the newly proposed load pattern is combined with the modified displacement coefficient method, the target displacement for the stepped building frame is found to match consistently the displacement demand given by the time history analysis.

This work gives an overview of research and development carried out at IIT Madras, using glass fibre reinforced gypsum (GFRG) panels, to provide an innovative solution for rapid and affordable mass housing. The GFRG panels (124 mm thick), made from recycled industrial waste gypsum (from the fertilizer industry), are prefabricated in 3 m × 12 m sizes with cellular cavities inside, which can be filled with reinforced concrete wherever required and can be used as walls as well as floor slabs. The tests carried out (over the past 12 years) establish the performance of GFRG building systems to resist gravity and lateral loads as a load-bearing system (without beams and columns) in multi-storeyed buildings up to 8–10 storeys, with adequate strength, serviceability, durability and ductility. A two-storeyed four-apartment demonstration building has also been successfully constructed in the IIT Madras campus and presently a mass housing scheme (40 apartment units) using this technology is being demonstrated at Nellore. A structural design code has also been approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards, based on the extensive studies carried out on GFRG building systems.

The behaviour of tall frames is characterized by the influence of higher modes in addition to the fundamental mode and thus the design procedures for Displacement-based Design (DBD) adopt several measures to control higher mode effects. The performances of 4, 9 and 15-storeyed frames, designed by DBD were verified using non-linear time history analyses. Higher values of inter-storey drift and damage index were seen near the top of tall frames, which shows the inefficiency of the design method in accounting for higher mode effect. As the principle of damage-limiting aseismic design is to get uniform damage along the height of the frame, several load distribution patterns were examined and the storey shear distributions were compared to identify the best pattern to get uniform damage. The Chao load distribution was found to give higher storey shear at top and thus the frames were redesigned using this load distribution. The efficiency of Chao load distribution in reducing higher mode effects is demonstrated using non-linear time history analyses.

Open ground storey (OGS) buildings are characterized by the sudden reduction of stiffness in the ground storey with respect to the upper infilled storeys. During earthquakes, this vertical irregularity may result in accumulated damage in the ground storey members of OGS buildings without much damage in the upper storeys. Hence, the structural design of OGS buildings needs special attention. The present study suggests a modification of existing displacement-based design (DBD) procedure by proposing a new lateral load distribution. The increased demands of ground storey members of OGS buildings are estimated based on non-linear time history analysis results of four sets of bare and OGS frames having four to ten storey heights. The relationship between the increased demand and the relative stiffness of ground storey (with respect to upper storeys) is taken as the criterion for developing the expression for the design lateral load. It is also observed that under far-field earthquakes, there is a decrease in the ground storey drift of OGS frames as the height of the frame increases, whereas there is no such reduction when these frames are subjected to near-field earthquakes.

Structural displacement is now recognized as a key parameter for of structural and non-structural damage to a building during an earthquake. This paper reviews and compares some of the recently developed displacement-based seismic design (DBD) approaches, which promise a more rational design philosophy, compared to the conventional force-based design (FBD). This paper reviews six displacement-based procedures, and compares their relative performance, as applied to the seismic design of typical reinforced concrete (RC) moment-resisting frames of 4, 9 and 15 storeys located in zone V. Despite all methods using the same set of design parameters, a large variation in design strength and member sizes is observed. It is found that Performance-based Plastic Design (PBPD) and Direct Displacement-based Design (DDBD) methods give the most economical designs. The performances of these two methods were assessed by time history analyses using ten spectrum compatible earthquakes and it is found that both methods achieve the desired performance levels. However, there is scope to carry out further research and improve on these displacement methods, particularly for taller building frames.

The gopuram (multi-tiered entrance gateway) and the mandapam (pillared multi-purpose hall) are two representative structural forms of South Indian temples. Modelling and seismic analysis of a typical 9-tier gopuram and, 4- and 16-pillared mandapam of the 16th century AD Ekambareswar Temple in Kancheepuram, South India, are discussed. The seismic input is based on a probabilistic seismic hazard analysis of the archaeological site. Two modelling strategies, namely lumped plasticity and distributed plasticity modelling, and three analysis approaches, namely linear dynamic, non-linear, static and dynamic analyses were adopted for the seismic assessment of the gopuram. Unlike slender masonry towers, the vulnerable part of the gopuram could be at the upper levels, which is attributable to higher mode effects, and reduction in cross section and axial stresses. Finite element and limit analysis approaches were adopted for the assessment of the mandapam. Potential collapse mechanisms were identified, and the governing collapse of lateral load, calculated based on limit theory, was compared with the seismic demand as a safety check. Simple relations, as a means of rapid preliminary seismic assessment, are proposed for the mandapam.