Drift capacity of a precast soft-storey building in melbourne

Abstract

Experimental field testing of a soft-storey building in Melbourne has been undertaken. The soft-storey open ground floor was a precast concrete frame with connections significantly weaker than the members they connected. Four unique tests were conducted with combination between load directions (strong and weak) and restraints of ground slab (with or without ground slab). Displacement measurements undertaken using a number of contemporary techniques are described together with results from ambient vibration testing of the building. The experimental results showed that soft-storey columns had significant displacement capacity controlled by the column width irrespective of strength degradation...