Different configurations of cores and shear walls in tall buildings

A core system for buildings has been recognized as an effective tool for managing the response of the building when an earthquake happens by decoupling the building structure from potentially damaging earthquake-induced forces. A challenging issue in this context is the application of the configuration of the core system. A review of recent studies shows that the configuration of cores has not been substantial investigated. This study presents seismic design concepts in which different configurations of cores are applied to a building. Nine steel buildings were modeled with rectangular core, octagon core, circle core, lozenge core, cross core, multi core, irregular core 1, and irregular core 2. All structural models are subjected to components of the 1940 El Centro earthquake and are evaluated and compared with the response of a structure without core. All models were also compared with and without opening in cores. The performance of the structural models under seismic excitation was evaluated by conducting linear dynamic time history analysis. Seismic results are investigated in terms of joint displacement and structure internal member forces. Results show that the presence of irregular core 1 significantly reduces the seismic response of the structure in this plane. (paper)