HIGH-RISE BUILDINGS WITH TRANSFER FLOORS: CONSTRUCTION STAGES ANALYSIS

Engineers generally determine the behavior of structures by adopting a linear elastic numerical analysis including summations of vertical column loads. For high-rise buildings with multiple construction phases, the structural responses may significantly diverge from such a typical linear analysis results. Furthermore, time-dependent long-term deformation resulting from construction sequence can cause a redistribution of the structural responses that cannot be estimated using conventional methods. The existence of a transfer floor within the building height adds to the complexity of the structural system which also cannot be analyzed using typical linear analysis methods. Fortunately, recent advancement of the finite element method facilitated the nonlinear analysis and provided tools for proper design of complex structures, especially high-rise buildings. Thus, construction sequential analysis which is now essential for high-rise buildings with transfer slabs can be easily included in the analysis. However, this nonlinear analysis is not so popular because of lack of knowledge about its necessity and scope. In this research, a nonlinear numerical analysis for high rise buildings with transfer floor is presented, considering the effect of construction stages. The analysis results are compared to the results of a conventional analysis for these types of buildings. The main objective of this work is to assess the effect of construction stages analysis and time dependent material properties of various structural elements for a high- rise building with a transfer floor on the performance and design of these buildings.