Seismic design of novel precast walls for high-rise buildings

为了满足加拿大迫切的住房需求，我们必须迅速建造经济、可持续、能抵御地震等自然灾害的建筑。预制混凝土结构可以满足这些需求，高质量的工厂制造的结构部件（即墙板）可以运输到现场并快速组装。此外，设计结构构件之间的连接以耗散地震能量而不是破坏构件，从而形成高效的建筑。不幸的是，尽管在过去的50年里，预制建筑的使用激增，但与加拿大预制建筑的抗震设计相关的研究却非常缺乏。研究的缺乏导致加拿大建筑规范缺乏预制抗震设计规定，限制了这种模块化施工方法的使用。我的总体职业目标是在加拿大创建第一个研究中心，为预制建筑开发新的连接、组件和结构系统，以抵抗地震，最终为建筑规范提供建议。这项探索基金将通过研究预制核心墙（高层建筑的关键组成部分），为实现我的愿景迈出关键的一步。核心墙是集成的钢筋混凝土墙，围绕着电梯井和楼梯井，在抵抗地震的侧向力方面非常有效。核心墙采用昂贵的现浇施工方法，即在固定位置现场建造墙体。目前，由于缺乏垂直连接面板的功能方法，核心墙的预制结构并不实用。此外，我们还没有从根本上了解高层预制建筑对地震的反应。该DG将通过三个目标为预制核心墙开发新的抗震设计方法。目标1将开发计算机模型来模拟一系列高层预制建筑的地震震动，以评估和量化地震反应。目标2旨在通过数值模拟和物理模型的实验测试，为核心墙应用开发新的互连预制墙。最后，目标3旨在通过计算机模拟研究预制核心墙的双向响应。我与预制行业的专业人士合作，致力于解决加拿大建筑规范中预制特定抗震设计条款的需求。这些行业合作伙伴关系将为学生提供与行业专业人士一起培训的独特机会，并最大限度地发挥整体影响力。加拿大建筑规范中需要预制抗震设计条款，以促进加拿大各地预制建筑的建设，即使是在低地震活动性地区。这项研究计划的结果最终将为建筑规范提供信息，这将导致更安全、更经济的高层建筑的实施。

To meet Canada's urgent housing needs, we must rapidly construct buildings that are economical, sustainable, and resistant to natural disasters, such as earthquakes. Precast concrete construction is poised to meet these demands, with high-quality factory-built structural components (i.e., wall panels) that can be shipped to the site and rapidly assembled. Furthermore, designing the connections between structural components to dissipate earthquake energy rather than damage the components results in a highly efficient building. Unfortunately, there is an extraordinary lack of research related to the seismic design of precast buildings in Canada, despite a surge of use over the last 50 years. The absence of research has resulted in Canadian building codes lacking precast-specific seismic design provisions, limiting the use of this modular construction method. My overarching career goal is to create the first research centre in Canada that develops new connections, components, and structural systems for precast buildings to resist earthquakes, ultimately advising building codes. This Discovery Grant (DG) will make critical steps towards realizing my vision by studying precast core walls, a key component for the construction of high-rise buildings. Core walls are integrated reinforced concrete walls that surround elevator shafts and stairwells which are highly effective in resisting lateral forces from earthquakes. Core walls use the costly cast-in-place construction method, where walls are built onsite in their permanent position. Currently, precast construction of core walls is not practical, as functional methods to connect panels perpendicularly are lacking. Further, we do not fundamentally understand how high-rise precast buildings respond to earthquake shaking. This DG will develop new seismic design methods for precast core walls through three objectives. Objective 1 will develop computer models to simulate earthquake shaking on a range of high-rise precast buildings to assess and quantify the seismic response. Objective 2 aims to develop new interconnected precast walls for core wall applications through numerical modelling and experimental testing of physical models. Finally, Objective 3 aims to study the bidirectional response of precast core walls using computer simulations. I have partnered with precast industry professionals committed to addressing the need for precast-specific seismic design provisions in Canadian building codes. These industry partnerships will provide students with unique opportunities to train with industry professionals and maximize overall impact. Precast-specific seismic design provisions are needed in Canadian building codes to facilitate the construction of precast buildings across Canada, even in regions of low seismicity. The outcomes of this research program will ultimately inform building codes, which will lead to the implementation of safer and more economical high-rise buildings.