. This project addresses critical needs for the earthquake engineering community in providing quantified values for the force-displacement relationships of non-structural building components systems including facades, plumbing and stairways. The data obtained from the project will allow building engineers to model performance of these systems in both existing and future building designs. Improved computer modeling tools will also be produced in the use of existing commercial software to simulate the response of these systems to seismic excitation. The use of damage-sensor systems on experimental assemblies will be evaluated with the goal of advancing structural health monitoring. Included in the performance of non-structural components will be a case study of the deconstruction of the components for both re-use and recycling of materials. A repair cost analysis of a prototype nine-story steel frame building will be made to develop a relationship between damage cost of non-structural components and peak drift a building experiences during an earthquake. A cyberinfrastructure component will allow practicing design engineers to incorporate NEES Repository test data directly into their engineering calculations with a user-friendly interface. This new link to the repository will allow design professionals to use the latest in engineering research in the design of new buildings and the evaluation of existing ones. The work developed will be valuable knowledge beyond the world of earthquake engineering. Performance of non-structural elements is critical in many types of extreme loading. Early career professionals, women and underrepresented minorities will be engaged in many aspects of the research and information for K-12 education will be developed.
The Pathways Project is a research study of the cradle-to-grave usage of building facade materials. Building facade materials studied included precast concrete cladding, window wall systems, and vertical plumbing risers. These systems are often damaged in earthquakes, resulting in significant repair costs for the owners of commercial real estate. The research was to investigate the performance of modern systems designed and built to current industry practice. Six full-scale experiments were conducted at the nees@berkeley test facility in Richmond, CA. All experiments were designed to represent modern commerical real estate construction using precast concrete cladding. Two of the specimens included window wall systems. Experimental testing was completed by moving the upper level of the facade system horizontally, simulating the relative displacement of two adjoining floors of a building during a major earthquake. The experimental testing provided data to compare with computer simulation. Computer simulation allows researchers and engineers to evaluate a wide variety of geometric and material variations, representing a wide range of building configurations. Comparison between the computer simulation and the experimental results allows confidence in the accuracy of the engineering assumptions made during design of new construction. One issue that has become more apparent in recent seismic events is the disposal of rubble from damaged buildings. One aspect of the project was to investigate new means of reusing facade elements that have been damaged in a new functional role rather than sending these materials to a landfill. An affiliated topic of the research was the development of new methods of investigating buildings after an earthquake to determine if damage has occurred. The topic chosen was damage to plumbing systems by use of a robotic-mounted digital photography system. This system allows engineers to detect small cracks in pipes without the need to create large access holes in walls. Damage to pipes in past earthquakes has led to expensive repairs, disposal of damaged building contents, and limited functional use of buildings while repairs are completed. The project also allowed for development of software and procedures that assist research teams in sharing data, reviewing large data files and preparing data for use by practicing engineers. The overall finding of the research study was that modern facade systems designed and built to modern industry standards perform very well with minimal damage even under loading that represents a severe earthquake. Connections allowed movement of concrete panels, window glazing, and plumbing risers while adjoining floors of the representative building moved as much as 2.0 inches. Only when the systems were displaced far beyond their expected displacement did severe damage occur. While the primary focus of the research was on the effects of earthquakes, the knowledge gained will also benefit the knowledge of building science related to wind effects and blast loading. The knowledge gained from work on the robotic and alternative use is relevant to a wide variety of applications. The project has taken place over six years and employed approximately 30 students, many of which are undergraduate engineering students. These students received financial support while gaining hands-on experience to prepare them to contribute to industry jobs in the future. The project employed students from structural engineering, mechanical engineering, and software engineering. Undergraduate students involved in the project graduated and advanced in their careers either by taking engineering jobs in industry or enrolling in graduate schools to advance their technical skills. A large proportion of the students involved in the project came from demographic groups identified as under-represented in science and engineering. The project also reached a population beyond the original group funded for the research. Discussion and interaction during the lifetime of the project with related studies by other groups allowed for collaborative research and shared experiences with two other NSF funded projects. Out of these collaborations, research studies were conducted on a wider variety of facade configurations and under dynamic loading simulating the acceleration that occurs in major earthquakes. Affiliated testing was conducted at research facilities in California and Japan. Presentations were made to industry and research groups in Salt Lake City, Boston, Chicago, Nashville, San Diego, Buffalo and Portland. Broader impacts of the project included the subcontracting of construction of the test specimens to local small businesses, advancement of engineering researchers in their individual careers, broadening the participation in cutting edge research to a wider demographic and building a strong linkage between a predominantly-undergraduate university and major research universities. The researchers appreciate the support provided by the federal government and the taxpayers of the United States that allows for in-depth study of the causes and effects of major natural events such as earthquakes.
