Monitoring Dynamic Properties of a Pres-Lam Structure: Trimble Navigation Office
Publication: Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 34, Issue 1
Abstract
Pres-Lam technology relies on unbonded post-tensioning tendons to provide moment capacity to timber beam-column, wall-foundation, or column-foundation connections. When designing buildings for high-seismic-risk areas, additional energy dissipation can be introduced by mild steel bars or replaceable damping devices. After a comprehensive testing program started in 2005, Pres-Lam technology was implemented in several buildings in New Zealand and worldwide. Although extensive information regarding test results is present in the literature, little information is available about the actual behavior of buildings in practice. This paper shows how an operative Pres-Lam structure performed as monitored over a 3-year period. Results show that the natural properties of the building are independent of the average post-tensioning loss, which was found to be equal to 5% in 3 years. Due to the natural torsional behavior of the building, the accelerations recorded were found to be around 25% higher than the spectral ones. Despite this fact, the building responded elastically to a moderate seismic event, as per design.
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Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Mr. Paul Drummond from Trimble for providing the data on the building.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
Volume 34 • Issue 1 • February 2020
Copyright
©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 19, 2018
Accepted: May 1, 2019
Published online: Oct 30, 2019
Published in print: Feb 1, 2020
Discussion open until: Mar 30, 2020
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