Author(s)

Mohammed Salem Al-Ansari, Muhammad Shekaib Afzal^*

Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.

This paper studies and analyzes tall buildings with shell and flat roof responses designed for gravity and earthquake loads in different zones having different soil profiles. These tall buildings having two different heights and different configurations are simulated with different load combinations. The responses of the simulated structural models with flat and shell roofs are studied and analyzed. These responses draw recommendations and guidelines for preliminary design of structurally efficient and reliable tall buildings with shell roof in earthquake zones. Five different earthquake zone factors (Z1 - Z5) along with the five different soil profiles (S1 - S5) are selected in this study. The non-linear dynamic response of buildings was obtained using three simulated models of buildings; square/rectangular, circular, and tube-shaped building. Total of 12 building models, four under each category, are analyzed using the finite element software (STAAD pro) subjected to the gravity as well as earthquake loading defined by UBC and IBC codes. Each building model is analyzed with two different story heights; which are 120 meters for 30 stories and 72 meters for 18 stories respectively. Horizontal and vertical displacement comparison is made among the flat roof and shell roof building for 32 and 18 stories building satisfying the ACI code of design requirement and drift index of 1/500 (0.002). The results showed that the drift index value for all the studied buildings is close to 0.002. All the maximum horizontal and vertical deflections occur under the earthquake zone-5 (0.40 gravitational acceleration) with soil profile-5 (Soft soil). The shell roof slab with less thickness than the flat roof slab did satisfy the horizontal and vertical deflection limits, therefore, it is more economical than the flat roof slab.

Shell Roof, Earthquake Loads, Flat Roof, Building Drift, Structural and Soil Parameters

Al-Ansari, M. and Afzal, M. (2019) Shell Roof of Tall Buildings in Earthquake Zones. Open Journal of Earthquake Research, 8, 223-238. doi: 10.4236/ojer.2019.84013.