Design Considerations for Precast

Prestressed Concrete Building

Structures in Seismic Areas
Alfred A. Vee, P.E., Dr. Eng.
President
Applied Technology Corporation
Honolulu , Hawaii
Discusses the major design considerations necessary in the
successful construction of precast, prestressed concrete
building structures situated in seismic areas. The importance
and interaction of stiffness, strength, toughness and,
especially, fail-safe connections are emphasized. Such
connections are needed not only to transfer loads but to
provide continuity and overall monolithic behavior in the entire
structure. Suggestions are given on how to increase the
stiffness of the structure as well as advice on good and poor
design practices. Examples of precast concrete buildings
drawn from the author's 40 years design experience are
shown and commented upon.

Long -ti me PCI Professional Member
Alfred A. Vee has been in engineering
practice since 1953, specializing in the
design of precast and prestressed
concrete structures . Most of these
structures have been located in the
Pacific Rim - one of the most
seismologically active areas in the
world . In recognition of his innovative
work in advancing concrete tech -
nology, he was awarded an Honorary
Doctorate Degree in engineering from
Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology
in 1976. That same year Dr. Yee was
elected to the prestigious National
Academy of Engineering. He obtained
his bachelor's degree in civil eng i-
neering from Rose-Hulman Institute of
Technology and his master's degree
from Yale University . Dr . Yee has
lectured all over the world and is the
author of numerous published papers
including some that have appeared in
the PCI JOURNAL.
ound principles, attention to
S detail and good judgment are
necessary in designing precast,
prestressed concrete structures in seis-
mic areas. These ingredients, of
course, apply also to the design of all
types of structures, whether they are
made of concrete, steel or composite
materials. However, in the case of pre-
cast and prestressed concrete struc-
tures , particular attention must be
given to stiffness, strength and tough-
ness requirements, and especially to
connection detai ls. Their function is
not only to transfer loads but to devel-
op continuity and monolithic behavior
in the entire structure.
Strength, stiffness and toughness
minimize second o_rder effects result-
ing from drift, deflection and rotation.
It is important that movements and ro-
tations be restrained in an earthquake
because they can cause both structural
and nonstructural damage to buildings
and in severe cases can induce co l-
lapse. Shear walls combined with each
other through deep beams or deep wall
gi rders or trusses to form giant mo-
ment frames is one good method to in-
crease the overall stiffness of a struc-
ture.
Soft floors, seismic joints and ec-
centricities (non-symmetry) in build-
ing frames should be avoided regard-
less whether they can be justified by
mathematical calculations. If seismic
joints become absolutely necessary
due to unusual structure size, it is sug-
gested that suc h joints be semi-re-
strained by a system of tension ties in

40 PCI JOURNAL
combination with the insertion of a
cushioning material between building
components to reduce possible dam-
age from pounding action.
The purpose of this paper is to pre-
sent the major design considerations
that are required in the safe construc-
tion of precast, prestressed concrete
building structures situated in seismic
areas. Another purpose of the paper is
to present real life examples of build-
ings that have withstood major earth-
quakes and to discuss some of the de-
sign features and practices that do and
do not work well in seismic areas.
A list of articles pertinent to this
paper is given in References 1 to 12.
This paper is drawn from the au-
thor's 40 years experience designing
precast, prestressed concrete struc-
tures. Most of these structures are situ-
ated in the Pacific Rim which is one of
the most seismologically active areas
in the world.
CONNECTION DETAILS
The single most important ingredi-
ent in the design of precast concrete
structures is the connection details.
Connections between precast building
elements such as columns, beams,
slabs and shear walls must effectively
integrate the individual structural
components in full continuity with
each other so that the overall building
structure behaves monolithically. In
this manner, the structural analysis
and behavior of a building frame
would be identical to that for a cast-in-
place structure except that the framing
system now uses precast concrete
components which are assembled to-
gether to act monolithically.
As an example, take the case of sim-
ple precast bearing wall panels sup-
porting precast concrete floor slabs.
The most effective system we have
found uses composite in-place connec-
tions to develop full continuity be-
tween adjacent slab spans as well as
the precast concrete wall panel units.
Fig. la illustrates a precast bearing
wall panel supporting a precast floor
or roof slab. The joint detail is ar-
ranged so that dimensional errors in
construction would have little influ-
ence on the structural integrity and
performance of the composite system.
May-June 1991
The precast floor slab panels are in-
tegrated with a composite in-place
structural concrete topping which pro-
vides a uniform leveling surface and a
horizontal structural diaphragm to re-
sist seismic forces_ Utilities such as
electric, telephone and television con-
duits can be buried within this top-
ping. The precast concrete slab panels
are detailed with extended reinforcing
bars bent in a diagonal pattern, criss-
crossing over the precast bearing wall
panels. Negative moment steel is
added in the composite topping to de-
velop continuity between adjacent slab
spans. The precast concrete wall panel
of the upper floor is integrated in full
continuity with that of the lower floor
by means of grout-filled steel sleeve
mechanical connections_
This particular joint does not require
a specified minimum bearing area be-
tween the precast floor slab and wall
panel in order to achieve adequate ver-
tical support. The extended diagonal
reinforcing steel from the ends of the
precast concrete slab panels is de-
signed to provide full shear resistance
to the anticipated vertical dead and
live loads on the slab span. Therefore,
no reliance is placed on the compres-
GROUT-FILLED
STEEL SLEEVE
CONNECTION - - - - - - ,
GROUT BED -------.
NEGATIVE MOMENT
CONTINUITY STEEL
EXTENDED DIAGONAL
REINFORCING STEEL
Fig. 1a. Precast bearing wall panels support precast concrete slabs with in-place
composite structural topping.
sion bearing area between the floor
slab panel and the top of the precast
wall panel after this joint is in place.
The wall panel thickness or top of
the wall need not be widened to pro-
vide support tolerance for the precast
concrete slab. Negative moment steel
in the topping not only develops full
continuity between slab spans but also
serves as a tie to resist horizontal ten-
sion between the slab units. In effect,
the reinforcement prevents the slabs
from pulling apart over the wall sup-
port when the concrete undergoes vol-
ume changes or if an earthquake oc-
curs.
In the event that this particular joint
is severely damaged during an earth-
quake and the joint deteriorates such
that the concrete in the top of the wall
panel as well as the bearing ends of
the slab panels are spalled off, the
floor slab will not be in any danger of
collapse. This is because the extended
overlapping diagonal bars in the bear-
ing ends of the slab are designed to
fully resist anticipated vertical dead
and live loads_ No reliance is placed
on a bearing element or shear in the
concrete. Therefore, this detail is prac-
tically speaking fail-safe.
PRECAST BEARING
WALL PANEL
TUBES FOR GROUT
INJECTION
COMPOSITE IN-SITU
CONCRETE TOPPING
PRECAST SLAB
PANEL
PRECAST BEARING
WALL PANEL
41
 Fig. l b shows an actual project
where the floor slab was erroneously
manufactured short of its intended
support on the precast wall panel. Al-
though this mistake is undesirable, the
extended reinforcing steel would pre-
vent a catastrophic failure in the event
of an earthquake.
Fig. lc shows how the extended slab
reinforcing bars are bent in a diagonal
pattern, criss-crossing over the bearing
wall panel. Added negative moment
continuity steel is also shown. Once
the composite concrete topping is
placed and cured, adequate resistance
in the slab shear support is ensured
even though the precast concrete slab
did not initially rest directly on the
Fig. 1b. Precast slab panel erroneously manufactured short of wall support. bearing wall panel.
Figs. 2a and 2b show a connection
detail developing full continuity be-
tween the precast concrete joists and
beams.
In Fig. 2a, a precast concrete soffit
is utilized for a composite beam sup-
porting the precast concrete joists. In-
place concrete of the composite beam
is also used to develop full bearing
and continuity between the precast
joists and beam elements. Added con-
tinuity reinforcement placed in the
composite structural topping is uti-
lized to develop negative moment for
the joists over the beam element.
In Fig. 2b, a cast-in-place beam is
used to support the precast concrete
joists. In all cases, reinforcing steel
and/or strands in the precast concrete
Fig. 1c. Extended reinforcement from slab panels diagonally crossing over wall joists are extended into the in-place or
supports to provide slab shear resistance. Supplementary negative moment steel composite beam elements to develop
in the topping area will develop full continuity between adjacent composite slab additional bearing and shear friction
sections. which may be necessary in the event
that the precast joists are inadvertently
manufactured too short. This type of
ADDED CONTINUITY REINFORCEMENT joint has been used in thousands of
building structures without one single
CAST IN PLACE CONCRETE
instance of spalling, cracking or any
other signs of distress.
For developing fully continuous
splices in reinforcing steel bars, me-
COMPOSITE PRECAST/ chanical connections specially de-
BEAM PRESTRESSED signed and tested are more reliable
CONCRETE than conventional lapped splices as
PRECAST CONCRETE JOISTS - - - '
SOFFIT-- -----' commonly used in cast-in-place con-
EXTEND STRANDS struction. Figs. 3a to 3e illustrate some
INTO BEAM - - - '
of the more common types of mechan-
(a) INTERIOR BEAM (b) EXTERIOR BEAM ical connections.
CONNECTION CONNECTION Fig. 3a is a steel sleeve connection
Figs. 2a-2b. Connection detail for interior and exterior beam. that utilizes a special high strength

42 PCI JOURNAL
 REINFORCING
GROUT METALLIC THREADED COUPLER SWAGED STEEL BAR OR
MATRIX MATRIX COUPLER WITH COUPLER STRUCTURAL
TAPERED STEEL PLATE
1
THREADE I
OR ANGLE - - - - - - i
''\ill' REBAR (I
!Ill LJ WELD
if11 ,,
r
STEEL il\1 II WELD ----------~1
SLEEVE

(a) (b) (c) (d) (e)

BUTT WELD LAP WELD

Figs. 3a-3e. Typical mechanical connections . Fig. 3f. Butt and lap weld connections.

STRUCTURAL TESTS ON FULL SIZE COL-

UMNS WITH NMB SPLICE SLEEVES
(Test Report NPD-024)

~
~.._,___
n TES~
__ -,~ ~
:rj.JJ !

11,000mm 1620mm
(3'-3-3 / 8')
I
(1'3-3 / 4 ' )
2,000mm
(6'-6-3 / 4' )
'6~m I 1,000mm I 4-=(5~::)
(1' -3-3 / 4' ) (3 '-3-3/ 8' )

LOADING TEST IN PROCESS

r==- R( X 10 ' )

10 20 30 40 50 60 70
Ca8 = 345kgf / cm ' (Concrete) 4or 6 or IOor
RaY= 3,810kgf/ cm '
WaY = 4,010kgf / em '
(Main rebars)
(Tie hoops)
r I u
13

I
I I
I

I
/
/

/
/
/
/
I 8

-[QJ~
I
I
I 0.2801 c 0
1
~!-m 0 8
~100-
8

4-D41(SD35)

f' c = DESIGN STRENGTH

40 20 10
R( X 10 ' ) --==:J

Fig. 3g . Summary of results of tests on full size columns with splice sleeves.

May-June 1991 43
 non-shrink cement grout matrix which GROUT JOINT
forms a grout wedge anchoring the re-
inforcing steel to the external sleeve. MECHANICAL CONNECTION
(GROUT FILLED SLEEVE)
This type of mechanical connection
has been tested extensively for repete- IN-SITU CONCRETE
tive loads in both tension and com-
pression and is widely used through- PRECAST CONCRETE BEAM OR GIRDER
out the world.
Fig. 3b shows a splice connection
utilizing a metallic matrix which en-
gages the deformations of the reinforc-
ing steel bars to a serrated inner sur- t - - - - - PRECAST CONCRETE COLUMN
face of the sleeves.
:=;t;=~----GROUT JOINT
Fig. 3c shows a threaded steel cou-
pler engaging threads cut into the ends MECHANICAL CONNECTION
of the reinforcing bars. In some cou- (GROUT FILLED SLEEVE)
plers the surface deformations of the
bars are used as threads which in tum Fig. 4. Typical precast concrete frame.
engage the coupler.
In Fig_. 3d, the threaded coupler is
tapered to accommodate the tapered GROUT JOINT
threaded ends of the steel bars. By ta- I A
~F- f-1!-
pering the threaded ends of the steel
bars, insertion into the threaded cou-
pler is facilitated.
FLOOR LEV EL
!-!-
!-!-

71~
I H-
!-!-

In Fig. 3e, the ends of the reinforc- ( I

ing bars are engaged by a steel sleeve !- !-!-
hydraulically swaged under pressure !- --~--
to the surface deformations of the re- !- -~~~

v
BOUNDARY
inforcing bars. MEMBER ~ .... ~

REINFORCEMENT ~ ~~
Typical butt and lap welded connec-
--
~
--~
tions are shown in Fig. 3f.
HORIZONT AL --
Fig. 3g is taken from a report on
repetitive loading tests on columns
with splice sleeve connections using a
SHEAR
REINFORC EMENT
r--
-
I -
-
special grout. In this test the steel
-
sleeves are located at the floor level of
FLOOR LEV EL
- -
a column-to-beam specimen. The as- -t I I)
sembly is loaded so that bending mo- -H
~
ments attain a maximum intensity in
11~ \ lA
the specimen. The column-beam con-
nection is then wracked repeatedly by
a jacking arrangement to simulate
CONFINEM ENT
REINFORC EMENT
-
~

seismic forces on a column-to-beam
frame. Results of these tests show that
the mechanical connections enabled
the precast concrete to perform in both
strength and ductility equal to that of
monolithically cast columns with fully
continuous reinforcing steel.
In Fig. 4 the connection details be-
tween the column units and between
the column and beam or girder units
are illustrated. In this scheme a me-
chanical connection that can develop
full continuity between reinforcing
bars greatly enhances the flexibility in
the column-to-column joint locations.
When these connections are combined
Fig. 5. Precast concrete shear wall with boundary members.
with adequate grouting in the joint
area, the vertical precast concrete col-
umn unit can be joined at the floor line
or at any other convenient location
along the height of the column to de-
velop full continuity.
It should be noted that the mechani-
cal connection between column units
can be "blindly" executed; that is, ac-
cess openings are not needed, thus
eliminating the need for patching and
grouting after the connection is in-
stalled. The grout-filled steel sleeve
lMECHANICAL
CONNECTIONS
!J
connection shown in Fig. 4 is classi-
fied as a "blind" connection that can
achieve full continuity in the steel. A
thin layer of grout inserted between
the column units, together with the
continuity provided in the reinforcing
steel by such connections, will result
in connected column units that act
monolithically as a fully continuous
member.
In a " blind" connection, the me-
chanical connection is basically a ta-
pered steel sleeve which envelops the

44 PCI JOURNAL
ends of the connecting reinforcing
bars as shown in Fig. 3a. This sleeve
is made large enough to allow reason-
able tolerance for erection and is com-
pleted by filling with a special grout to
develop the required anchorage of the
reinforcing steel.
Threaded couplers or sleeves filled
with metallic matrix can also be used
but these require access pockets to ex-
ecute the connection and therefore
cannot be considered as "blind" con-
nections. These threaded couplers or
metallic matrix sleeves have been used
mainly for cast-in-place construction
since the tolerances required wouio be
extremely close and access to the
sleeves must be provided before con-
crete pouring.
The joint location between the pre-
cast concrete beam and column can be
at a point of highest moment adjacent
to the column or at some distance
away for convenience in precasting
and erection. In the case of a horizon-
tal joint, the joint area is cast-in-place
to develop full continuity. The me-
chanical connection is totally exposed
before installation with in-place con-
crete and, therefore, the reinforcing
bars can be spliced by grout-filled
sleeves, welding or other methods.
Welding is labor intensive and time
consuming. The heat generated from
welding can cause damage to bond in
the steel bars and cracking in the adja-
cent precast concrete. Furthermore,
high quality welding requires close su-
pervision and inspection whereas me-
chanical connectors using sleeves with
grout can be installed quickly and reli-
ably without the need for special skills
and supervision.
Grout-filled sleeves have sufficient
built-in tolerances and can easily be
installed at normal temperatures, thus
avoiding any damage to the reinforc-
ing steel or adjacent concrete. In situa-
tions where epoxy coated reinforcing
steel is used, grout-filled sleeves are
particularly advantageous because no
heat or damage to the epoxy would re-
sult. Sleeves with a metallic matrix or
threaded couplers are difficult to apply
in precast concrete work since they
would require extreme precision in bar
placement to have all corresponding
reinforcing steel properly aligned.
To Clevelop continuity between the
beam and column elements, the longi-
tudinal steel in the connection must
have sufficient anchorage in the col-
umn. Equally important, confinement
steel must envelop both the column
vertical steel and the horizontal bars of
the beam or girder in the high moment
region adjacent to the column. High
strength concrete sufficiently plasti-
cized to completely fill all void areas
between the reinforcing steel and pre-
cast concrete contact surfaces will pro-
duce a fully continuous joint integrat-
ing the beam and the column in mono-
lithic frame action.
Fig. 5 shows the connection be-
tween precast concrete shear wall pan-
els with boundary members. The
grouted joint between the precast
panel elements in combination with
properly spaced mechanical connec-
tions to develop continuity in the rein-
forcing steel can produce a shear wall
frame acting monolithically through-
out its height.
The precast concrete shear wall re-
inforcement is detailed in exactly the
same way as a cast-in-place shear
wall. Vertical wall steel spaced regu-
larly throughout the length of the wall
panel is required to develop shear fric-
tion along the entire contact face be-
tween the precast components. Bound-
ary elements are detailed to provide
the required tension and compression
resistance as would be analyzed in a
monolithic cast-in-place structure.

,.. -
, ...
...., ... -- .....
,......... ........ .
,, ... tlfl ,

,,.....,,.....
"
.. . .
....... .......
.

, ..... .
.....
, .r..
..................
........
. ........ '

............

I


Fig. 6b. Lower portion of Ramon Magsaysay Building, Manila, Philippines.

This 18-story (including basement) reinforced concrete structure utilizes precast,

Fig. 6a. Overall view of
Ramon Magsaysay Building,
Manila, Philippines.
prestressed concrete joists and composite in-place floor slabs. The structural
system to resist lateral forces due to seismic or wind loads is a shear wall system.
The shear walls are symmetrically clustered about the center of the building, thus
eliminating eccentric forces. This building experienced severe earthquake forces in
1968 and 1972 (Richter Scale 7.2) and in July 1990 (Richter Scale 7.7) without
suffering any structural damage.

May-June 1991 45
Fig. 7. Hotel Liwayway, Manila, Philippines. Wide columns and deep spandrel beams make up this shear wall type structure
capable of maintaining rigidity even after cracking under repeated loads. This picture, which shows that the hotel suffered only
nonstructural damage on building's exterior, was taken shortly after the August 1968 earthquake which reached a magnitude
of 7.0 on the Richter Scale.
STRUCTURAL
FRAMING SYSTEMS
In the overall performance of a
structural concrete frame, primary
consideration should be given to the
development of stiffness, strength and
toughness.
In the past, some design engineers
believed that pure moment resistant
frame systems were more desirable
than shear wall systems for high rise
buildings in seismic regions. The justi-
fication for this philosophy is that mo-
ment resistant frames are flexible and
therefore can move, deflect and absorb
more energy, thus reducing the re-
quired calculated base shear forces . It
was also thought that, in the case of
shear wall structures, the base shear
forces would be greatly increased due
to the stiffness of such framing and
therefore would be considered unde-
sirable for seismic areas.
However, our experiences during
46
the past 20 years have shown that flex-
ible building structures that incur ex-
cessive deflection or rotation will suf-
fer considerable damage in an earth-
quake. This damage could result from
repetetive stresses at the joints be-
tween framing members, which causes
progressive deterioration in stiffness.
This, in tum, would cause a further in-
crease in deflections and rotations, re-
sulting in considerable damage to non-
structural partitions, facades, utility
lines, building contents and other
building elements - including damage
to the structural frame itself. With pro-
gressive joint deterioration, such
building structures can become stati-
cally unstable and collapse complete-
ly. Increasing the lateral stiffness of
the structure will result in a decrease
in detrimental second order (P-Delta)
effects and thus increase the critical
load capacity and overall stability of
the building.
In the case of shear walls, these ele-
ments produce stiffness and, although
they may crack under repeated loads,
they are able to maintain a large de-
gree of their stiffness without the sig-
nificant deterioration displayed by
moment frame structures. Earthquakes
in the Philippines, Chile, Mexico and
elsewhere have repeatedly confirmed
the advantages of the stiff shear wall
building frame concept.
Figs. 6a and 6b show a high rise of-
fice building in Manila which utilizes
precast, prestressed concrete joists in-
tegrated with a cast-in-place structural
topping. Connections of the joists are
similar to that shown in Fig. 2b. The
main lateral resisting element is a cen-
tral concrete shear wall core which
was cast-in-place. Main vertical rein-
forcing steel in the shear wall core was
joined by mechanical connections
using a metallic matrix.
In August of 1968, this building ex-
perienced a major earthquake with
epicenter immediately east of Manila
PCI JOURNAL

Fig. 8. Cast-in-place reinforced concrete structure with stiff upper floors and a soft moment frame ground floor showed partial
collapse of the flexible floor columns. The photograph on left shows the overall building, while the view on the right shows a
closeup of the column failure.
at a magnitude of 7.0 on the Richter
Scale. The only damage observed was
cracking in the nonstructural concrete
hollow block partitions of the toilet
and stairwell areas . Some loosening of
screws attaching metal partitions in
the toilets were also noticed.
The exterior surface of the building
is clad with marble slabs embedded to
precast panels which in turn are com-
positely attached to the building frame
by extended reinforcing bars . No
cracks or damage occurred on this fa-
cade despite reports from the night se-
curity personnel that the building did
undergo substantial accelerations and
movement during the earthquake.
Other nearby buildings suffered se-
vere damage to both structural and
nonstructural elements. In some in-
stances, partial or total collapse oc-
curred, resulting in a loss of more than
300 lives. Virtually all moment frame
buildings of both structural steel or re-
inforced concrete suffered major
May-June 1991
structural or nonstructural damage
during the earthquake. Nonstructural
elements, such as marble or stone
claddings, nonbearing partitions, ceil-
ings and utility ducts, were badly dam-
aged or collapsed and required exten-
sive repairs.
During this earthquake in Manila, a
hotel building structure (shown in Fig.
7) utilizing wide columns and deep
spandrel beams demonstrated its capa-
bility of maintaining stiffnes s even
after cracking under repeated loads.
The inherent stiffness of the framing
system prevented the collapse of the
building.
In another instance, a reinforced
concrete structure with stiff upper
floors and a soft ground floor moment
frame (shown in Fig. 8) suffered a par-
tial collapse due to the flexibility of
the column beam framing system on
the lower floor.
A similar magnitude earthquake oc-
curred in Manila in 1972 and the high
-~
rise office building shown in Fig. 6
again experienced only minor damage
to the nonstructural concrete block
walls.
In the devastating earthquake of
July 16, 1990 (magnitude 7.7 on the
Richter Scale epicenter north of Mani-
la), at least 25 major buildings were
heavily damaged in Manila, with a
loss of 34 lives. Again, this high rise
office building experienced only
minor damage to the nonstructural
concrete block walls in the toilet and
stairwell areas . No other structural
damage was observed.
In 1970, a 38-story building using
precast, prestres sed concrete floor
slabs and precast concrete column-tree
frames was built in Hawaii (see Figs.
9a-9d) . The lateral resisting framing
system comprised a cast-in-place
shear core and precast concrete col-
umn-tree frames. In addition to sup-
porting vertical loads, the column-tree
frames functioned as a main lateral re-
47
 UPPER
COLUMN
REINFORCING
BARS

LOWER
COLUMN
SPLICE
SLEEVES

Moana Hotel, Honolulu , Hawaii . This 38-story, 1260 room hotel was Fig . 9c. Details for splicing upper and
constructed using cast-in-place shear walls with precast concrete moment frames lower columns used in building Ala
supporting precast prestressed concrete floor slabs. Built in 1970, today the Moana Hotel, Honolulu , Hawaii.
building is in very good condition and has required minimal maintenance over the
past 20 years.

Fig. 9b. Ala Moana Hotel, Honolulu , Hawaii . Precast moment frame unit being erected.

48 PCI JOURNAL
I I
I I
I I
I I
1 '
''
I 1
I 1
I I

Fig. 9d. Ala Moana Hotel, Honolulu, Hawaii. Solid precast concrete walls were applied to transverse and longitudinal facade to
minimize drift between floors .

May-June 1991 49
 ' (b) MOMENT FRAME '"""~/ ,
(a) CANTILEVERED tc) COMBINATION
SHEAR WALL OF (a} & (b)
:::::<

l\111\i

m:ii l~ :::;:;:;
I/
[:/ tt
~:::: ::;::
[:=:: t =:

MOMENT FRAMES ~ r/////r:

[ : : :=:::
~'?.' ~ ~
MOMENT FRAMES
... -'\
~:-:::ARW ALL
(d) SHEAR WALL - MOMENT FRAME COMBINATION

Fig. 10. Schematic diagrams showing the interaction of shear wall and moment frames.

Fig. 11 illustrates that a soft floor

CONCRETE
SHEAR WALL
SEISMIC
FORCE
SOFT
FLOOR
AT REST
Fig . 11 . Schematic concept of soft floor action.
sisting element in the longitudinal di-
rection of the building while the shear
core primarily resisted the lateral
forces in the transverse direction. This
structure, designed for Seismic Zone
II, experienced seismic forces of mag-
nitude 6.0 on the Richter Scale in
April of 1973 without any visible
damage.
The precast concrete column tree
frames were spliced at midheight with
grouted steel sleeves (see Figs. 9b and
9c). To minimize the drift and torsion-
al effects in the longitudinal and trans-
SOFT
FLOOR
SEISMIC FORCE
verse directions, solid precast concrete
panels were inserted at the end walls
and extreme ends of the longitudinal
facade (see Fig. 9d).
In most high rise buildings, shear
walls combined with moment frames
are generally used to resist lateral
forces. As shown in Fig. 10, a pure
shear wall is stiffer at the lower levels
while a moment frame is stiffer at the
upper levels; the combination of these
two elements can result in minimizing
large deflections in both the upper and
lower floor levels.
can be particularly hazardous if it is
located in the lowest floor of a build-
ing where maximum lateral loads
could occur under seismic conditions.
An actual example of this type of fail-
ure is shown in Fig. 8. However, soft
floors have been known to fail under
seismic conditions even if located on
upper story levels.
If only the lower floors were to be
stiffened with shear walls and then not
continued at the upper levels, abrupt
change in stiffness could result in the
failure of the soft floor at the upper
level where a sudden change of stiff-
ness occurs. Therefore, where practi-
cal, both shear walls and moment
frames should run continuously
throughout the entire building height
without allowing such soft floors to
occur.
A structural arrangement utilizing
shear walls connected by deep girders
and columns (where they are permit-
ted architecturally) can create signifi-
cant additional stiffness in the building
frame.
In Figs. 12a and 12b, a giant mo-
ment frame system can be created by
utilizing shear walls in combination
with wall girders that are floor-to-floor
in height. These wall girders could be
used wherever permissible, such as at

50 PC! JOURNAL

MECHANICAL ROOM
ELEVATOR PENTHOUSE
(a) GIANT MOMENT (b) GIANT MOMENT
FRAME SYSTEM FRAME SYSTEM
Fig. 12. Schematic elevations of giant moment frame system.
Ph3
-~6_2=( 1 I 4) SEI --++--e:-_3~( 1I 16) SEI
--
p P-iP.. ~:'!'!':!'!'!:~:- . ~. "':
:.
{::::
:i ..
Fig. 13. Relative stiffness of shear walls connected with deep wall girders (giant
moment frames).
mechanical room and elevator room frame. The deep wall girders at the
floor levels. As shown in Fig. 13, roof level are also used to support me-
when shear walls are coupled together chanical equipment rooms.
with deep wall girders the resulting An effective and cost beneficial lat-
deflections are minimized consider- eral shear resi sting framing system
ably . could be attained by the use of super
Fig. 14 shows a coupled shear wall diagonals as shown in Fig. 16. These
system utilized in the building shown super diagonal s couple the internal
in Fig. 6. The vertical shear walls of shear walls with the exterior column
the elevator cores are joined together frame to generate maximum resistance
at the roof penthouse level to enhance and stiffness against lateral and over-
the stiffness of the building. turning forces. The super diagonal can
In Fig. 15, shear walls located at the extend several floors vertically from
end walls of the building are joined to- each level in order to generate the
gether with deep wall girders at the most efficient height to span ratio.
roof level to form a giant moment Super diagonals can be used effective-
May-June 1991
ly where deep wall girders are inap-
propriate because of occupant access
problems.
Architectural and functional consid-
erations will determine the most ideal
locations of these super diagonal ele-
ments. Generally, the roof area is free
from any functional restraints and
super diagonal frames easily could be
placed in this location to enhance the
lateral stiffness of the building.
Eccentricities .in the framing system
should be avoided wherever possible
regardless of justification by structural
calculations and detailing. Eccentrici-
ties generally produce exaggerated
movements that can be damaging. In-
deed, many buildings with even mod-
erate eccentricities have suffered total
collapse during earthquakes. Deflec-
tions, drift and rotations should be
minimized in every instance since they
are the prime cause of damage and
failure in building frames and non-
structural elements. Furthermore, a
symmetrical building would favor
Ph3
economical precast concrete construc-
tion due to the uniformity in produc-
tion and erection of the precast con-
crete components.
Seismic joints (Fig. 17a) between
building unit s s hould be avoided
wherever pos si ble since separate
building units have different periods
of vibration and under seismic activity
tend to pound against each other at the
joint areas. Considerable damage in
seismic joint areas due to pounding of
separate building units was witnessed
in the 1985 Mexico City earthquake
(Fig. 18). In many cases, total building
collapse was directly caused by thi s
pounding.
By eliminating seismic joints and
developing full continuity between
building frame units, pounding can be
prevented. However, in eliminating
seismic joints, floor areas now become
relatively large and the question of
shrinkage effects and floor slab re-
straints causing problems of slab and
wall cracking is of major concern. In
most instances, these problems can be
solved by the addition of continuous
reinforcing steel in both directions to
handle the shrinkage effects.
To reduce shrinkage stresses, these
large floor areas can also be cast in
smaller sections to establish temporary
51
shrinkage control joints which are then
connected structurally after a long pe-
riod of curing and drying time during PENTHOUSE
construction. One method of connect- MACHINE ROOMI~
ing the smaller cast sections at the
shrinkage control joints is shown in
Fig. 19.
In other instances, however , the :
:
floor area may be so large that seismic
(expansion) joints become absolutely I I I
:
I I l
necessary. In this instance, the width I I l :
:
I l l
of the joint should be sufficient to pre-
vent contact between the separate I I l :
:
I I l
framing units. However, in the case of
I II :
:
: II I
an extended period of seismic activity ,
resonance may build up considerable l I I : I I I
movement beyond the magnitude of II I
I I I :: :

the joint separation provided and se-

vere damage may result. Installation I I I .' : I I l
: :
of a tension tie system in combination
I I [': .I I l l
with a suitable cushoning material be- :

tween building units could be consid- I I I :

ered a partial solution in preventing
potential damage from pounding ac-
tion (Fig. 20).
In this regard, it is again important
to emphasize the need for structural
stiffness in the separate framing units
since higher stiffness coefficients will
reduce the degree of lateral movement
and thus reduce the difficulty in devel-
oping a manageable seismic joint. The
stiffness can be increased substantially
by using shear walls , giant moment
frames or super diagonal systems.
CONCLUDING REMAR KS
For precast concrete construction in
seismic areas, all joints between pre-
cast concrete units should develop full
continuity and toughness. Floor slab
and beam units utilizing composite in-
place concrete topping and jointing
can develop horizontal diaphragm ac-
tion and fail-safe connections to resist
seismic forces .
With the availability of reliable me-
chanical splicing devices, precast con-
crete shear wall , slab, column, beam
and girder components can be in-
stalled at any convenient location in a
structure to develop full continuity and
monolithic frame action . The struc-
tural analysis for precast concrete con-
struction would be identical to that of
a cast-in-place concrete structure.
Stiffness in the overall framing sys-
tem is necessary to insure against
I I I
I I I
I I I
l I I I~
I I LI
............ v r
ELEVATOR CORES ~
ELEVATION
Fig. 14. Giant moment frame utilized in Ramon Magsaysay Building, Manila,
Philippines. The structure is 18 stories high (including the basement) .
structural and nonstructural building
damage by minimizing drift, deflec-
tion and rotation . To develop framing
stiffness, shear wall elements are ex-
tremely important. When these shear
wall panels are integrated with deep
wall girders to produce giant moment
frames , the stiffness in the structure is
greatly enhanced . Super diagonal
frames can also be an effective
method to develop stiffne ss in the
building frame . These frames can be
used where access or functional re-
quirements require more open space in
a floor plan.
In seismic areas, the existence of
I I I L
: I I I I
: :
: :
I I I I
: :
: : :
I I I I
:I I I I
: :
.. :I I I I I
'? :
::;::
GI ANT MOMENT
FRAME
:
::::
: :
soft floors in the framing system can
lead to severe damage or collapse. Ec-
centricities (non -symmetry) in the
framing system should be avoided, re-
gardless of mathematical justifications
and structural detailing.
Sei smic joints between building
units should be avoided wherever pos-
s ible in order to prevent poundin g
damage. If such joints become neces-
sary due to the overall size of the
structure, tension ties in combination
with a cushioning material can be in-
cluded in the seismic joint design to
reduce possible damage due to pound-
ing action .

52 PCI JOURNAL
 GIANT MOMENT FRAM E

ELEVATION

moment frames utilized in the Municipal Office Building, City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii.

SUPER
DIAGONAL

-- ft--SEISMIC JOI NT

CORE WALLS
'/ ///// ///////,

(a) BUILDING WITH SEISMIC JOINTS

//// '// '/ '/ '/ '/ /.

(b) BUILDING WITHOUT SEISMIC JOINTS

Fig. 16. Super diagonal frame system. Fig. 17. Building with seismic joints (top) and building without
seismic joints (bottom) .

May-June 1991 53
 Fig. 18. Damage and collapse of buildings due to pounding action at seismic joints during Mexico City earthquake of
September 19, 1985.

54 PCI JOURNAL
 REFERENCES
I. Englekirk, Robert E., " Overview of
PCI Workshop on Effective Use of
Precast Concrete for Seismic Resis-
---~----~o.f--2" TEMPORARY JOINT
tance," PCI JOURNAL, V. 31 , No. 6,
TUBES FOR WIRE LATH November-December 1986, pp. 48-58.
GROUT INJECTION "STAY IN PLACE" 2. Englekirk, Robert E., "An Analytical
FORM Approach to Establishing the Seismic
Resistance Available in Precast Con-
crete Frame Structures," PCI JOUR-
NAL, V. 34, No. I, January-February
1989, pp. 92-101.
3. Englekirk, Robert E., "Seismic Design
STEEL SLEEVES AND Considerations for Precast Concrete
JOINT TO BE GROUTED Multistory Buildings," PCI JOUR-
SLABS OR BEAMS AFTER SHRINKAGE
OF SLABS AND NAL, V. 35 , No.3 , May-June 1990,
BEAMS TAKE PLACE pp. 40-51.
4. Fintel, Mark, "Ductile Shear Walls in
Earthquake Re sis tant Multistory
Buildings," ACJ Journal, Proceedings
V. 71 , No.6, June 1974, pp. 296-305 .
5. Fintel, Mark, "Performance of Precast
Fig. 19. Cast-in-place joint detail for shrinkage control. Concrete Structures During Rumanian
Earthquake of March 4, 1977 ," PCI
JOURNAL, V. 22, No. 2, March-April
1977, pp. 10-15.
6. Fintel, Mark, "Modem Concrete Struc-
tures Survive Romanian Earthquake,"
Civil Engineering -ASCE, V. 48, No.
-+-~-1-~-------SEISMIC JOINT 10, October 1978, pp. 80-81.
7. Fintel, Mark, " Performance of Precast
t -f----1 T ,----=-~ -1 and Prestressed Concrete in Mexico
I
I 1
I I
I II I
II
tl
I
I
I
I I
I
Earthquake," PCI JOURNAL, V. 31,
No. I, January-February 1986, pp. 18-
I I
I I II I I I 42. (See also Discussion in November-
I I rl I I December 1986 PCI JOURNAL, pp.
I II
I I
I I II I
II II I
I
I
143- 144.)
8. Hawkins, Neil M., " State of the Art
I II I
I
I II
I I I : l: TENSION TIES IN
Report on Seismic Resistance of Pre-
stressed and Precast Concrete Struc-
_! I I: I I
I I
COMBINATION
WITH A
tures," PCI JOURNAL: V. 22, No. 6,
November-December 1977, pp. 80-
I I I \ I'
i!: 110, and V. 23 , No. 1, January-Febru-
CUSHIONING MATERIAL

'~ I!
I TO ABSORB IMPACT ary 1978, pp. 40-58.
I I I 9. Hawkins, Neil M., "Precast Concrete
I I I I
I 1I Connections," Proceedings, U.S.-PRC
I I I I I
I I II Workshop, 1981 , pp. 28-42.
I
I I II II I II 10. Iverson, James K., " First Impressions
I I I II II of Earthquake Damage in San Francis-
I I I II
I I I I II co Area," PCI JOURNAL, V. 34, No.
I I I II I 6 , November-December 1989, pp .
II I I
II I I I 108- 124.
I I
I I II. Scanlon, Andrew, and Kianoush, Reza
I

' I I M., " Behavior of Large Panel Precast

Coupled Wall Systems Subjected to
Earthquake Loading," PCI JOUR -
NAL, v.. 33, No. 5, September-Octo-
ber 1988, pp. 124-151.
12. Seckin, M., and Fu, H. C., "Beam-Col-
umn Connection s in Precast Rein-
forc ed Conc rete Construction ," ACI
Structural Journal, V. 87, No. 3, May-
Fig. 20. Proposed detail for reducing damage due to pounding action at seismic joints. June 1990, pp. 252-261.

May-June 1991 55