Interim Summary Report on Tests of 7‐Story RC Building

A 7‐story full‐scale reinforced concrete frame‐wall building was tested. The test structure was designed on the basis of the building code requirements in the United States and Japan for earthquake resistance. The reinforcement details were specified to reflect good construction practice in the United States and Japan. The test structure was subjected to static and dynamic loads. A single‐degree‐of‐freedom pseudo‐dynamic earthquake response test method was used to investigate the inelastic behavior of the test structure. Four increasing levels of earthquake input were used, resulting in maximum roof displacements of 2.52 mm, 32.5 mm, 238 mm, and 243 mm. Following the 4th pseudo‐dynamic test the damaged structure was repaired by epoxy injection and epoxy mortar. Reinforced concrete spandrel walls and various types of nonstructural elements were installed. Three pseudo‐dynamic tests similar to the 1st three were performed with maximum roof displacements of 3.03 mm, 65.3 mm, and 244 mm, respectively. A final static test to failure concluded the testing. The fundamental period of the structure increased to three times its initial period due to structural damage. The three‐dimensional characteristics of the building were significant even though the earthquake loading was only in one direction. The repaired test structure had overall behavior similar to that of the original structure.