Repairs to Mid-Rise Steel Frame Damaged in Northridge Earthquake
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 12, Issue 4
Abstract
The Borax corporate headquarters building, a low-rise steel moment frame, was less than one year old when it sustained significant structural damage during the 1994 Northridge earthquake. Seventy-five percent of its steel moment-resisting connections suffered severe brittle fractures. This paper presents a detailed documentation of the forensic investigation performed on this structure immediately following the earthquake. A companion paper presents the findings from a subsequent computational investigation performed on the structure. The two primary failure modes at the Borax building were column flange fracture and pull-out of the girder flange from the column. The failures are primarily attributed to a fundamental flaw in the standard code-prescribed welded-flange bolted-web connection and the extreme ground motion at the site. The paper also describes the repairs made to the structure. These repairs were completed before the SAC research that now guides repair and retrofit of these structures was available.
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References
1.
“Ground motion evaluation for the Borax site, Santa Clarita, California.” (1994). Internal Rep., Woodward Clyde Consultants, Santa Ana, Calif.
2.
Hajjar, J. F., O'Sullivan, D. P., Leon, R. T., and Gourley, B. C. (1995). “Evaluation of the damage to the Borax corporate headquarters building as a result of the Northridge earthquake.”Rep. No. SAC 95-07, SAC Joint Venture, Sacramento, Calif.
3.
Hajjar, J. F., Gourley, B. C., O'Sullivan, D. P., and Leon, R. T.(1998). “Analysis of mid-rise steel frame damaged in Northridge earthquake.”J. Perf. Constr. Fac., ASCE, 12(4), 221–231.
4.
“Interim guidelines: evaluation, repair, modification, and design of welded steel moment frame structures.” (1995). Rep. No. SAC-95-02, SAC Joint Venture, Sacramento, Calif.
5.
Somerville, P. G., Graves, R. W., and Saikia, C. K. (1995). “Characterization of ground motions at the sites of subject buildings.”Rep. on Task 4 of the SAC Joint Venture Proj., SAC Joint Venture, Sacramento, Calif.
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Copyright © 1998 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Published online: Nov 1, 1998
Published in print: Nov 1998
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