Seismic behavior of precast curtain walls in high-rise buildings

The nature of curtain wall participation in the structural response characteristics of high rise buildings subjected to seismic excitation was investigated. Four basic insert types, plus various combinations of types of connector bodies, were tested to obtain static stiffness properties and low cycle fatigue data. Full scale tests were run on a one-story, single bay structure. The assemblies (consisting of a steel rigid frame with AISC Type 1 connections and two precast concrete panels attached with dissociated connections at the top and integrative connections at the bottom) was subjected to several earthquakes using a closed loop servocontrolled hydraulic loading system. Exceedance levels, power spectra density, and time response plots were obtained for approximately twelve transducers. These studies were augmented with a finite element representation of the assemblage to study the static and dynamic response.