Seismic performance of a damping outrigger system for tall buildings

A novel damping outrigger system is proposed for tall buildings by replacing the diagonal members with buckling restrained bracings. To investigate the conceptual design of the system, a simplified mechanical model for the outrigger system is first put forward in this paper. Four configurations of outriggers, which are commonly used in practical engineering, are compared from the aspects of stiffness, strength, and energy-dissipating capacity. The damping outriggers of the best configuration with buckling restrained braces acting as diagonal web members of outriggers are then proposed. The effect of the system on the whole structure is demonstrated through a 632-m-tall building. The results indicate that the damping outrigger can serve as stiffness member under the frequently occurred earthquakes and energy dissipating member under the rarely occurred earthquakes to protect the main structure from severe damages. Copyright (C) 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.