Proceedings ISBN 978-80-87158-29-6

fib Symposium PRAGUE 2011 Session 3-4: Modelling and Design

NUMERICAL ANALYSIS OF CREEP AND SHRINKAGE IN HIGH-RISE CONCRETE OR STEEL-CONCRETE BUILDINGS

Mario Alberto Chiorino

Carlo Casalegno

Claudia Fea

Mario Sassone

Abstract
The expansion of concrete construction in high-rise buildings has made these structures sensitive to the effects of creep and shrinkage. Initial and time dependent strains of concrete generate both absolute and relative displacements in vertical elements that cannot be neglected. The problem is further complicated by the sequential character of high-rise construction, involving continuous sequences of loading steps and changes of structural configurations. If these effects are not adequately understood and analyzed in design and construction phases, several serviceability concerns may arise, affecting structural members as well as non structural components. Ultimate safety may be influenced as well, as a result of delayed increases of axial loads in vertical elements. The paper presents a computational approach for the evaluation of these effects based on the combination of a finite element discretization of the structural configuration, with account for its evolving character and the sequence of loading steps, and of the recursive numerical algorithm for the solution of the hereditary integral problem induced by the adoption of a linear aging viscoelastic constitutive relation for creep. The proposed analysis procedure is applied to the time-dependent analysis of a case study relative to a multi-storey building. Keywords: High-rise, Creep, Shrinkage, Structural effects, Construction sequence

fib Symposium PRAGUE 2011 Session 3-4: Modelling and Design

Proceedings ISBN 978-80-87158-29-6

Introduction

Concrete and steel-concrete frame structures represent economical and effective solutions for the realization of high-rise buildings. Over the years the height of these structure has dramatically increased, due to the development and the availability of high-strength concrete and the capabilities of modern computerized structural analysis. With the increasing height of the structures, vertical supporting elements, as columns and walls, are subjected to successive load increments due to the construction of the overlying floors, showing as a consequence significant axial shortenings. These elastic deformations increase in time due to creep and shrinkage of concrete. In reinforced concrete structures up to 30 stories or 120 m the effects of the delayed deformations are normally disregarded without serious consequences [5]. In higher structures, as well as in composite or hybrid structures, ignoring the effects of creep and shrinkage can lead to undesirable service conditions, and in some cases also the stability of the building can be put at risk. On the one hand, axial shortening of vertical supporting elements can negatively affect the service behaviour of the building, causing damage of partitions, faade clothing, gutters, plumbing, buckling of elevators guide rails, misalignment of the stops with respect to the floors. It can also induce additional forces in horizontal stiffening members, like bracings, putting at risk the structural safety itself [8-10-12-13-16-17]. On the other hand, the differences in the stress levels, in the characteristics of the elements and in the environmental conditions can produce a differential shortening of the vertical supports, with consequent negative effects on the service behaviour of the building, as the arise of cracking phenomena and the development of a slope in the slabs [5-10-12-15-21]. The differences in the axial deformations can also induce the growth of bending moments in beams and slabs and a redistribution of the loads between adjacent vertical members, which, in turn, affects the following evolution of the viscous phenomena. Moreover, the stress distribution is further affected by concrete creep, which causes the relaxation of bending moments induced by differntial shortening of vertical members. The time-dependent load redistribution between vertical elements can cause an increase in the axial loads and induce instability phenomena [5-10-12-1522]. In composite or hybrid buildings, made up of an internal concrete core and an external steel frame, the differential shortening can be particularly evident, because concrete elements undergo time-dependent deformations, due to creep and shrinkage, while steel elements do not [5-10]. In the case of cast-in-place structures, shortenings of vertical members occurring before the realization of the slabs are less important, because slabs formworks are levelled at the time of casting, while it is important to predict the shortenings that follow, in order to eventually cast the slabs with an initial slop, with the aim of compensating the future differential shortenings. In the case of composite structures with steel columns, instead, also the shortenings that occur before the realization of the slabs must be predicted and compensated, since steel columns are fabricated with predefined dimensions [10]. Finally, delayed deformations of concrete can produce a growth in time of the lining of the structure, due for example to the presence of eccentric loads, to the yielding of foundations or to the presence of concrete with different properties [2], with the risk of putting on risk the stability of the building itself. Over the years, with the increasing in the height of concrete buildings, the attention of researchers and engineers in the effects of concrete time-dependent behaviour on this kind of structures has progressively increased. The first studies on the argument date back to the end of 1960s, due to the work of Fintel and Khan [11-12]. The authors proposed a simplified procedure for the prevision of time-dependent columns shortenings due to elastic and time-dependent deformations. The early works by Fintel and Khan have been resumed by many authors in the following years, as in [8-10-13-16-17-22-23].

Proceedings ISBN 978-80-87158-29-6

fib Symposium PRAGUE 2011 Session 3-4: Modelling and Design

A much more refined approach, adopted by several authors in recent years, consists in a finite element formulation of the problem, with concrete creep modelled by the use of rheological models chains (rate-type approach) [9-14-15]. A finite element approach is used in [21] also, in association to the Age-adjusted Effective Modulus Method [4] to take into account creep effects. The use of the AEMM is suggested in [5] and [18] also. The effects of time-dependent deformations of concrete have been considered in the design of some recent super-tall buldings, as the Taipei 101 Tower [24] and the Burj Dubai Tower [2]. In the following, a computational procedure is presented, based on the coupling of the traditional methods for the numerical approximation of the viscoelastic integral constitutive equations with the finite element method, which allows the rigorous solution of general viscoelastic problems. Structures like high-rise building, characterized by significant non-homogeneities and complex construction sequences, can be effectively analyzed for time-dependent effects through the described procedure, as shown in the numerical example that follows.

Proposed analysis procedure

Let eq. (1) be the local matrix relationship between nodal forces and nodal displacements in a Bernoulli beam element, referred to the local coordinate system:

{ f } = [K ]{s}

(1)

In order to introduce the integral viscoelastic constitutive law expressed through the creep function, it is necessary to rewrite eq. (1) in the inverse form:

{s} = [K ]1 { f }

(2)

The introduction of the viscoelastic constitutive relation leads to the following expression for the nodal displacements at time t:

{s(t )} = [K ]

E c J (t ,t' ){df (t' )}

0

(3)

To come back to the fundamental relation (1) it is necessary to invert again eq. (3), in order to express the nodal forces as a function of the nodal displacements. This inversion is not possible in an analytical way, because of the integral form of the expression. To go on with the discussion its then necessary to introduce an integration numerical algorithm. The numerical computation of this type of integrals can be developed replacing the hereditary integral with a finite sum, using the trapezoidal rule ore the rectangular rule [3]. Subdividing time t into discrete times t1, t2, , ti, , tk and using the trapezoidal rule, the general recursive formula is obtained for the nodal displacements increment at the generic time tk , after some manipulations [6-19-20]:

{s}t
k 1

= [K ] E c
1

1 [J ( t k ,t k ) + J ( t k ,t k 1 )]{f }tk + [K ]1 Ec 2

1 2 [J ( t k ,t i ) + J ( t k ,t i 1 ) J ( t k 1 ,t i ) J ( t k 1 ,t i 1 )]{f }ti i =0

(4)

The nodal displacements increment {s} at time tk depends on the stresses increment {f } at time tk and on the stresses increments at previous steps ti. The expression is hence composed of two terms: an unknown term represented by the stresses increment at the last step t=tk and a known term represented by the sum of the previous history of stresses until time t=tk-1.

fib Symposium PRAGUE 2011 Session 3-4: Modelling and Design

Proceedings ISBN 978-80-87158-29-6

The discretized constitutive equation (4) can now be inverted, assuming as known the stress increments occurred at previous time steps:

{f }t
k 1 i =0

2 1 [K ]{s}tk (J ( t k ,t k ) + J ( t k ,t k 1 ))Ec J ( t k ,t k ) + J ( t k ,t k 1 )

(5)

[J ( t k ,t i ) + J ( t k ,t i 1 ) J ( t k 1 ,t i ) J ( t k 1 ,t i 1 )]{f }ti
Expression (5) represents a general extension of relation (1) to the viscoelastic beam finite element. The expression can be rewritten in a more compact form:

{f }t

~ = K
tk

[ ]

tk

{s}t

{ f }t k

(6)

The K

[~]
k

matrix is the "tangent" stiffness matrix at each time step tk and the { f } represents the

global effect at time tk of the stress history in the element. If also shrinkage is taken into account relation (6) results:

{f }t

~ = K

[ ] {s}
tk

tk

{ f }tk {f sh }tk

(7)

where {f sh } represents the vector of the increments between time tk-1 and tk of the nodal axial loads equivalent to the effect of shrinkage. The local stiffness matrices are then assembled, as well as the nodal forces vectors and the vectors representing the effect of the stress history, and the global matrix and vectors are obtained. The global matrix and vectors are then partitioned as usual in order to take into account the external restraints:

{f F }t {f R }t

[ ] {s ~ = [K ] {s
~ = K FF
tk RF t k

F tk

F tk

[ ] {s } ~ + [K ] {s }
~ + K FR
tk RR t k

R tk

{ f F }t k { f R }tk

(8) (9)

R tk

When the incremental displacements are calculated, the stresses in the elements can be obtained by applying eq. (6) again. The solution of the viscoelastic problem is hence obtained incrementally as a sequence of elastic analyses, in which the elastic modulus is updated at the actual value and the effect of the stress history is taken in account at each step as external nodal actions, calculated on the basis of the solutions of previous steps. In the case of structures composed of elements with different viscoelastic properties, or comprising elastic elements, the different behaviour of the members is taken into account simply assigning different properties to the singular finite elements. Successive changes in the static scheme can be considered as well, due changes in the restraint conditions or to the introduction or subtraction of elements, through modifications of the dimensions or the partitioning of the stiffness matrix and the vectors at the different time steps. The described algorithm has been implemented in the Matlab 7 programming environment, in association with the commercial finite element analysis software TNO Diana 9.4. The external Matlab procedure is devoted to the management of the time-dependent terms 1 / ( J (t k , t k ) + J (t k , t k 1 )) , {f }tk and {f sh }tk of eq. (7) and to the storing of the results relative to the different time steps, while the procedures of the finite element analysis are managed by Diana, used as an elastic finite element solver at each time step. At each time step, this data are computed and written to a Diana input file for the batch execution of the analysis, together with the data relative to the finite element model (geometry, materials, loads, supports, etc.).

Proceedings ISBN 978-80-87158-29-6

fib Symposium PRAGUE 2011 Session 3-4: Modelling and Design

terms { f }t k and {f sh }t k are introduced as loads applied to the nodes of each viscoelastic element,

Term 2 / ( J (tk ,tk ) + J (tk ,tk 1 )) of eq. (5) is entered as the value of the elastic modulus, while

in the local coordinate system. A simple elastic analysis is then executed in Diana, and an output file is generated, containing the results of the analysis in terms of nodal forces and displacements (and any other desired result). Finally, in Matlab environment, the output file of the analysis is read and the results are stored. If the structure being analyzed is subjected to a change in the static scheme at a generic time tk, the input data for the finite element analysis are modified from time tk to the time of the successive change. The described analysis procedure allows a rigorous approach to general viscoelastic problems, as no approximation is introduced at the level of the constitutive relation (only a numerical approximation is introduced, which can be made negligible through the adoption of an appropriate time discretization), and simple or complex problems (as problems characterized by the presence of non-homogeneities and problems of sequential constructions) can be dealt with.

Numerical example

The multi-storey building represented in Fig. 1, ten storey high, is considered as a case study. Each storey is 3 m high, for a total height of 30 m. The structural system consists of a central concrete core and a mesh of external columns. The structure is supposed to be built sequentially, with a rate of 7 days for storey. The construction of the core and of the external frame is supposed contemporaneous. In the two-dimensional finite element the construction sequence is simulated. A vertical strip of the building is considered in the analyses, comprehending one half of the central core and two external columns. The central core is modelled as a beam element with a stiffness equal to the one of the portion of the core considered. In a first option the external columns are considered made of concrete, while in a second one they are considered made of steel, in order to investigate the differences in the time-dependent behaviour of these two building types. The beams connecting the columns to the central core are considered made of concrete. The dimensions of the structural elements are summarized in Tab. 1.

Fig. 1 The structure object of study: plan view and finite element models relative to the different construction stages.

Although the modelling of the structure and of the construction sequence is quiet simplified, and the height of the building considered is not very significant, the results of the time-dependent analyses show some interesting aspects of the behaviour of the structural types being considered. 5

fib Symposium PRAGUE 2011 Session 3-4: Modelling and Design

Proceedings ISBN 978-80-87158-29-6

Tab. 1 Geometrical characteristics of the structural members. Floors 1-2 3-4 5-6 7-8 9-10 Concrete columns size [cm] 45x45 40x40 35x35 30x30 25x25 Steel columns section HEA 400 HEA 340 HEA 300 HEA 240 HEA 200 Beams dimensions (b x h) [cm] 30x60 30x60 30x60 30x60 30x60 Central core thickness [cm] 25 25 25 25 25

The results relative to the time-dependent analysis of the structure with the external concrete columns are represented in Figs. 2 to 5. In what concerns the deformations of the vertical members, the maximum long-term shortening is obtained in correspondence of the 10th floor, of about 1.52 cm (depending on the prevision model) in correspondence of the columns, and about 1.21.6 cm in correspondence of the central core (Fig. 2). The floors are supposed to be levelled at the time of casting, by compensating the previous differential shortenings of the underlying floors, in order to obtain an initial horizontal configuration of the slabs. The maximum long-term differential shortening between the columns and the central core results about 35 mm, in correspondence of the 9th floor (Fig. 3). The initial step increments visible in the diagram are due to the application of the loads relative to the construction of the upper floors. The difference in the displacements at the end of the construction of about 1 mm, due to the different stress levels in the two vertical elements, is increased in time due to creep and to the difference in the shrinkage strains. The central core, in fact, has a higher 2Ac/u ratio with respect to the external columns, thus resulting in lower long-term shrinkage and creep strains. Although in the structure considered the differences in the long-term shortening appear quiet limited (4 to 5 mm), it must be noted that such a difference over ten storeys can become a difference of several centimetres in a one hundred storeys structure. In Fig. 4 the bending moment at the joint between the beam and the column, in correspondence of the 9th floor, is represented. After the initial step variations, a gradual decrease of the bending moment is observed, followed by an increase until long-term, except for the model B3 prediction, which shows a further slight decrease from time t equal to about 40 years. The shape of the diagrams, characterized by successive changes in the general trend, is due to the differences in the creep and shrinkage rates between the external columns and the central core, due to the different values of the volume to surface ratio, which cause forces redistributions between the members. The values obtained at the end of the construction are increased up to about three to four times at long term, depending on the creep prediction model being adopted, thus putting in evidence the importance of considering the effects of the time-dependent properties of concrete in the design of tall buildings. In Fig. 5 the evolution of the axial force in the column of the ground floor is represented. The diagram shows a not significant stress transfer between the central core and the column.

Central core

External columns

External columns Central core

Proceedings ISBN 978-80-87158-29-6

fib Symposium PRAGUE 2011 Session 3-4: Modelling and Design

Fig. 2 Concrete columns. Long-term vertical displacements of the different floors.

Fig. 3 Concrete columns. Maximum differential displacements in correspondence of the 9th floor.

Fig. 4 Concrete columns. Bending moment at the joint between the beam and the column, 9th floor.

Fig. 5 Concrete columns. Axial force in the ground floor column.

The situation is significantly different in the case of the structure with the external steel columns. In what concerns the deformations of the vertical members, the maximum long-term shortening results about 1.11.6 cm (Fig. 6), in correspondence of the top of the central core, while a maximum long-term differential shortening of about 913 mm is obtained in correspondence of the same floor (Fig. 7). The higher difference is due to the fact that the central concrete core continues to shorten with time due to creep and shrinkage, while the steel column does not. The steel column shows a slight time-dependent increment of deformations, due to the stress transfer between the central core and the columns, which is in this case very significant (Fig. 9). It must be noted that also in this case the floors are supposed to be levelled at the time of construction, thus neglecting the differential shortenings already occurred in the underlying floor. If also these deformations are taken into account, the total long-term differential shortenings would be even more significant.
External columns Central core

Central core External columns

Fig. 6 Steel columns. Long-term vertical displacements of the different floors.

Fig. 7 Steel columns. Maximum differential displacements in correspondence of the 10th floor.

fib Symposium PRAGUE 2011 Session 3-4: Modelling and Design

Proceedings ISBN 978-80-87158-29-6

Fig. 8 Steel columns. Bending moment at the joint between the beam and the column, 9th floor.

Fig. 9 Steel columns. Axial force in the ground floor column.

In Fig. 8 the bending moment at the joint between the beam and the column, in correspondence of the 10th floor, is represented. The evolution is in the sense of a significant development in time of a negative bending moment, as a consequence of the time-dependent shortening of the central core due to creep and shrinkage.

Conclusions

A computational procedure has been presented, which allows a rigorous approach to general viscoelastic problems. The procedure has been applied to the evaluation of the long-term behaviour of a multi-storey building. Despite the quiet simplified modelling of the structural system and of the construction sequence, and the small height of the building considered, the results of the analyses put in evidence the importance of taking into account the effects of the time-dependent deformations of concrete in the design of tall buildings, in order to avoid long-term serviceability concerns due to absolute and differential shortening of vertical members, as the damage of partitions, faade clothing, plumbing, and other non-structural elements, and the arise of bending moments and cracking phenomena in beams and slabs. Stress transfers between adjacent vertical members could also represent a serious concern, in particular in concrete-steel hybrid structures, where it can induce significant time-dependent load increments in steel columns, which could induce instability phenomena. The results of the analyses underline the necessity of a reliable approach to the evaluation of time-dependent behaviour, able to properly describe the effects of structural non-homogeneities, which result in significant stress redistributions between structural members and in complex interactions between creep and shrinkage, which cannot be caught in the frame of a simplified analysis.

References
[1] [2]
ACI 209.2R-08 : Guide for Modeling and Calculation of Shrinkage and Creep in Hardened Concrete, ACI, 2008. Baker, W. F., Korista S., Novak C., Pawlikowski J., Young B.: Creep & Shrinkage and the Design of Supertall Buildings. A Case Study: The Burj Dubai Tower, in Structural Implications of Shrinkage and Creep of Concrete, ACI SP-246, pp. 133-148, Gardner, N. J., Chiorino, M. A. EDTS, 2007. Baant Z.P.: Numerical Determination of Long-range Stress History from Strain History in Concrete, Material and Structures, Vol. 5, pp. 135-141, 1972. Baant, Z.P.: Prediction of Concrete Creep Effects Using Age-adjusted Effective Modulus Method, Journal of the American Concrete Institute, Vol. 69, pp. 212-217, 1972. Carreira, D. J., Poulos T. D.: Designing for Effects of Creep and Shrinkage in High-Rise Concrete Buildings, ACI SP-246, pp. 104-128, 2007. Casalegno, C., Sassone, M., Chiorino, M. A.: Time dependent effects in cable-stayed bridges built by segmental construction. Proc. of Third International fib Congress incorporating the PCI Annual Convention and Bridge Conference. Washington D. C., may 27 - june 3, 2010. Chiorino, M. A.: A Rational Approach to the Analysis of Creep Structural Effects, in J. Gardner and J. Weiss eds., Shrinkage and Creep of Concrete, ACI SP-227, pp.107-141, 2005. Elnimeiri, M. M., Joglekar, M. R.: Influence of Column Shortening in Reinforced Concrete and Composite High-Rise Structures, ACI SP-117, pp. 55-86, 1989.

[3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

Proceedings ISBN 978-80-87158-29-6

fib Symposium PRAGUE 2011 Session 3-4: Modelling and Design

[9]

[10] [11] [12] [13] [14]

[15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21]

[22] [23] [24]

Esmaili, O., Siamak, E., Mirghaderi, R., and Behbahani, A. A. T.: Numerical Investigation of Reinforced Concrete Frames Considering Nonlinear Geometric, Material and Time Dependent Effects with Incremental Construction Loadings, Proc. of the 2008 Seismic Engineering Conference: Commemorating the 1908 Messina and Reggio Calabria Earthquake, AIP Conference. Fintel, M., Ghosh S. K., Iyengar, H.: Column shortening in tall structures. Prediction and compensation, Portland Cement Association, 1987. Fintel, M., Khan, F. R.: Effects of column creep and shrinkage in tall structures - Prediction of inelastic column shortening, ACI J.66, American Concrete Institute, Detroit, pp. 957-967, 1969. Fintel, M., Khan, F. R.: Effects of Column Creep and Shrinkage in Tall Structures - Analysis for Differential Shortening of Columns and Field Observation of Structures, ACI SP-27, pp. 95-119, Detroit, 1971. Jayasinghe M. T. R., Jayasena V. P. K.: Effects of Axial shortening of columns on design and construction of tall reinforced concrete buildings, Practice periodical on structural design and construction, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 70-78, May 1, 2004, ASCE. Kumagai H.: Prediction of column shortening due to creep and shrinkage in tall buildings, Finite Elements in Civil Engineering Applications, Hendriks, M., A., N., Rots, J., G. EDTS, Proc. of the Third DIANA World Conference, Tokyo, Japan, 9-11 October 2002, pp. 101106. Kwak, G., Kim, J.: Time-dependent analysis of RC frame structures considering construction sequence, Building and Environment, No. 41, pp. 14231434, 2006. Pan L. B., Liu P. C., Bakoss S. L.: Long-term shortening of concrete columns in tall buildings, Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. 119, N. 7, pp. 2258-2262, July, 1993. Russell, H., G.: High-Rise Concrete Buildings: Shrinkage, Creep, and Temperature Effects, ACI SP-97, pp. 125-138, 1987. Samra R. M.: New analysis for creep behaviour in concrete columns, Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. 121, No. 3, pp. 399-407, March, 1995. Sassone, M., Bigaran D., Casalegno C.: Numerical Approach to Viscoelastic Analysis of Concrete Structures Using Equilibrium and FEM, in Structural Implications of Shrinkage and Creep of Concrete, ACI SP-246, pp. 21-36, Gardner, N. J., Chiorino, M. A. EDTS, 2007. Sassone, M., Chiorino, M. A., Bigaran D., Casalegno C.: Effects of creep and shrinkage on serviceability limit state. Proc. of fib Symposium: Concrete structures: stimulators of development, Dubrovnik, Croatia, pp. 623-632, 2007. Seol, H., Yang, J., Kim, J.: Prediction on long-term behaviour of high-rise buildings by considering the construction sequence and inelastic behaviour, Proc. of the 8th International Conference on Creep, Shrinkage and Durability of Concrete and Concrete Structures, (CONCREEP 8), September 30th, October 2nd, 2008, Ise-Shima, Japan. Sharma R. K., Maru S., Nagpal A. K.: Simplified procedure for creep and shrinkage effects in reinforced concrete frames, Journal of Structural Engineering, Vol. 130, p. 1545-1552, October, 2004. Sheng P, Fang H., Xia X.: Effects of concrete creep and shrinkage on tall-hybrid structures and its countermeasures, Frontiers of Architecture and Civil Engineering in China, Vol. 3, N. 2, pp. 234-239, June, 2009. Shieh, S., Chang, C., Jong, J.: Structural Design of Composite Super-Columns for the Taipei 101 Tower, in Proc. of International Workshop on Steel and Concrete Composite Constructions, National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering of Taiwan, 8-9 October 2003, p. 25-33.

fib Symposium PRAGUE 2011 Session 3-4: Modelling and Design

Proceedings ISBN 978-80-87158-29-6

Mario Alberto Chiorino

Politecnico di Torino Dipartimento di Ingegneria Strutturale e Geotecnica Viale Mattioli 39 10125 Torino, Italy + 39 0115644864 mario.chiorino@polito.it

Carlo Casalegno
Politecnico di Torino Dipartimento di Ingegneria Strutturale e Geotecnica Viale Mattioli 39 10125 Torino, Italy + 39 0115644874 carlo.casalegno@polito.it

Claudia Fea
Politecnico di Torino Dipartimento di Ingegneria Strutturale e Geotecnica Viale Mattioli 39 10125 Torino, Italy + 39 0115644880 claudia.fea@polito.it

Mario Sassone
Politecnico di Torino Dipartimento di Ingegneria Strutturale e Geotecnica Viale Mattioli 39 10125 Torino, Italy + 39 0115644867 mario.sassone@polito.it

10