Full-scale dynamic testing of a steel frame building during construction

Full-scale testing of a six-story steel frame building with infill walls made primarily of autoclaved cellular concrete and curtain walls made of hollow core clay bricks using ambient and forced vibration methods are described in detail. The ambient vibration test took place in two stages of the construction-stage one, when only the frames and slabs where constructed, and stage two when all the walls were put in place. The forced vibration was carried out when some of the walls were constructed. The results from the two test methods are compared with each other and also with computer analysis results based on conventional design office assumptions for modeling. Dynamic characteristics of the structure including natural frequencies, damping ratios and mode shapes determined from the tests are presented. The effect of Autoclaved Cellular Concrete (ACC) block infill and partition walls on the dynamic properties and stiffness of the building are discussed in detail. The advantages of using ACC block walls as infill wall material for seismic regions are concluded. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.