Experimental study on the shear behavior of the interface between cushion materials and the concrete raft

Cushion is a layer of granular materials between the raft and the ground. The shear behavior of the interface between the cushion and the raft may influence the seismic performance of the superstructure. In order to quantify such influences, horizontal shear tests on the interfaces between different cushion materials and concrete raft under monotonic and cyclic loading were carried out. The vertical pressure P_v, material type and cushion thickness h_c were taken as variables. Conclusions include： 1） under monotonic loading, P_v is the most significant factor; the shear resistance P_（hmax） increases as P_v increases, but the normalized factor of resistance μ_n has an opposite tendency; 2） for the materials used in this study, μ_n varies from 0.40 to 0.70, the interface friction angle δ_s varies from 20° to 35°, while u_（max） varies from 3 mm to 15 mm; 3） under cyclic loading, the interface behavior can be abstracted as a ＂three-segment＂ back-bone curve, the main parameters include μ_n, the displacement u_1 and stiffness K_1 of the elastic stage, the displacement u_2 and stiffness K_2 of the plastic stage; 4） by observation and statistical analysis, the significance of different factors, together with values of K_1, K_2 and μ_n have been obtained.

Impact of lateral force-resisting system and design/construction practices on seismic performance and cost of tall buildings in Dubai, UAE

The local design and construction practices in the United Arab Emirates （UAE）, together with Dubai＇s unique rate of development, warrant special attention to the selection of Lateral Force-Resisting Systems （LFRS）. This research proposes four different feasible solutions for the selection of the LFRS for tall buildings and quantifies the impact of these selections on seismic performance and cost. The systems considered are： Steel Special Moment-Resisting Frame （SMRF）, Concrete SMRF, Steel Dual System （SMRF with Special Steel Plates Shear Wall, SPSW）, and Concrete Dual System （SMRF with Special Concrete Shear Wall, SCSW）. The LFRS selection is driven by seismic setup as well as the adopted design and construction practices in Dubai. It is found that the concrete design alternatives are consistently less expensive than their steel counterparts. The steel dual system is expected to have the least damage based on its relatively lesser interstory drifts. However, this preferred performance comes at a higher initial construction cost. Conversely, the steel SMRF system is expected to have the most damage and associated repair cost due to its excessive flexibility. The two concrete alternatives are expected to have relatively moderate damage and repair costs in addition to their lesser initial construction cost.