This paper presents a comprehensive investigation on viscous wall dampers (VWD) used for seismic response mitigation of reinforced concrete (RC) frames. First, a shaking table test on a large-scaled three-story RC frame with VWD and another identical three-story RC frame without any dampers was carried out. A total of three types of earthquake excitations were inputted to the shaking table to evaluate the effects of VWD on seismic response mitigation. The influence of different earthquake input intensities on seismic performance of VWD were also examined. From the experiment, this paper further assessed the performance of VWD on seismic retrofitting of a partly damaged RC frame. The test results show that the main effect of installing VWD is to provide a large amount of supplemental damping to the RC frame, and at the same time the stiffness of the structure is also raised moderately as an accessorial effect. As a result, the displacement responses of the RC frame can always be reduced significantly, while the acceleration responses and the base shear of the RC frame were reduced in some test cases, but increased in other cases. The test results of seismic retrofit also show that seismic responses of the damaged RC frame can be alleviated evidently by the installation of VWD and, therefore, installing VWD is an effective retrofitting approach for RC frames. After test investigation, elastic and inelastic seismic responses of the RC frame were numerically simulated using finite element software Sap2000 and Canny99, respectively. A good agreement of experimental results and analysis results verified the analytical method and model used for RC structures with VWD.

In China, the irregular high-rise buildings are beconung more extensive. Considering the irregularities and complexities of these buildings, it is significant to verify the safety and rationality of their seismic design through effective means including small scale dynamic model tests, refined numerical analysis and large scale joint tests. The target building of this paper is Shanghai International Design Center (SHIDC), which has two different-height connected towers designed by Japanese Architect Tadao Ando. The hybrid system of reinforced concrete core walls in conjunction with perimeter steel frames is out of Chinese code in the plan and elevation layouts. Thus, scaled model was carefully tested on the shaking table to obtain the weak position, dynamic characteristics, inter-story drift, and shear force of the structure. A linear dynamic analysis by ETABS was performed to compare, check, and support the experimental results. On the basis of those results, the seismic performance of the complex irregular structure was evaluated and the suggestions to the same type of structural design were given.

Owing to commercial or aesthetic considerations, the shapes of high-rise city buildings are becoming increasingly unique and complicated. This brings challenges to structural engineers in analyzing and predicting their dynamic responses, which are crucial to the safety of the buildings. For these buildings in China, a detailed study, sometimes including shaking table testing, is required to verify the safety and rationality of their design. This paper presents results of a study performed for a high-rise building with a large space in the ground floor and large openings in elevation. The maximum responses of acceleration and deformation were measured and evaluated, as well as the dynamic characteristics, cracking pattern and failure mechanism of the building. In addition, a 3D finite element analysis was carried out and the analytical results were compared with experimental ones to gain a better understanding of the structural behavior. Suggestions regarding the design of this type of structure were also derived from the test results.

为解决在钢筋混凝土结构、钢结构的振动台试验模型中，相似理论与实际模型设计之间的差异问题，以实现对原型结构合理模拟进行的研究，针对不同材料结构按构件等效设计的原则，分别得到钢筋混凝土结构、钢结构模型的设计计算公式，并给出计算实例，以指导振动台试验模型设计。

本文根据振动台模型试验的经验，介绍了模拟地震振动台试验设计的实用流程和设计思路；提出了不用明确求出π数表达式的似量纲分析法，来求解各相似常数；并阐明考虑模型混凝土强度和钢筋强度之间采用不同的相似系数的原则以及模型设计中的一些注意事项。