Modeling and Response of a Three-Story Steel Building With Sliding Slabs in Earthquake Motions

Abstract

In conventional steel building construction, the slabs are rigidly connected to the beams by steel-headed stud anchors. This study explores a novel sliding slab system where the slabs are allowed to slide with respect to the steel frame by adding low-friction Teflon pads and a horizontal all-steel sandwiched buckling-restrained brace (H-SBRB) to enhance the seismic response of the building system. In this work, the effectiveness of this system in enhancing the seismic response is evaluated by constructing and validating a numerical model of a full-scale three-story steel dual-frame building equipped with a buckling restrained braced frame (BRBF). The frame specimen was subjected to strong ground motions simulated using a shaking table at the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering in Tainan, Taiwan. A component test of the Teflon was conducted, where the frictional behavior displayed a velocity-dependence, and the results were integrated into the analytical model. The model showed a good correlation with the test results, particularly in drift response, slab response, floor acceleration, and overall sliding response. Two H-SBRB design forces, referred to as Design 1 and Design 2, were presented, and the slab sliding response was obtained by conducting nonlinear response history analyses. Design 1 reduced the floor accelerations by 19%, the interstory drifts by 15%, and the total base shear by 13% compared to a building model with rigidly-connected slabs. In Design 2, the H-SBRB design force was reduced, leading to a reduction in floor acceleration by 31% and interstory drift by 34%.