Response of a 42-storey steelframe building to the

7.1
Loma Prieta earthquake
Erdai Safak
US Geological Survey, MS-922, Reston, VA 22092, USA
(Received August 1992; revised version accepted December 1992)

A set of 14 acceleration records was obtained from a 42-storey steelframe building, the Chevron Building, in San Francisco during the
M s = 7.1 Loma Prieta earthquake of 17 October 1989. Data were
analysed using a system identification method based on the discretetime linear filtering, and the least-squares estimation techniques. The
results show that the response of the building is dominated by two
modes: a translational mode in the weaker (southwest-northeast)
principal direction of the building at 0.16 Hz with 5% damping, and a
translational-torsional mode along the east-west diagonal of the building's cross-section at 0.20 Hz with 7% damping. There are significant
contributions from higher modes at 0.54 Hz, 0.62 Hz, 1.02 Hz and
1.09 Hz. All the modes incorporate some torsion, but the amplitudes of
torsional components are small, about 10% of translational amplitudes.
Soil-structure interaction influences the vibrations near 1.0 Hz. The
contribution of soil-structure interaction to the peak displacements of
the building is significant, particularly at lower floors.

Keywords: earthquake response, steel-frame building

The Ms = 7.1 (surface wave magnitude) Loma Prieta

earthquake on 17 October 1989 provided excellent data
sets from five extensively instrumented buildings in the
US Geological Survey strong-motion network in the San
Francisco Bay Area 1. Analyses of data from two of these
buildings, the Transamerica Building and the Pacific
Park Plaza, have been presented elsewhere 2. In this
paper, we present and analyse the data from another
building, the Chevron Building, located at 575 Market
Street in San Francisco.
Constructed in 1974, the Chevron Building is 42storey, 174.65 m high, rectangular moment-resisting steel
frame structure. Typical floors are 25 m x 47 m, consisting of cellular metal decking with concrete fill, and the
typical storey height is 4 m. Exterior wall panels are
precast concrete. The building is supported by 6 to 9 mlong precast piles. The instrumentation in the building
consists of 14 accelerometers. The locations and directions of sensors along with the schematic elevation and
plan views of the building are given in Figure 1. Three
uniaxial accelerometers at each of the 42nd, 34th, and
25th floors, and two uniaxial accelerometers at the
ground floor are connected to a central film recorder.
The basement has a separate triaxial accelerometer/
recorder. The recorders are time synchronized with
simultaneous triggering and common timing marks.

Recorded accelerations and displacements

A set of acceleration data was obtained from the 14
sensors during the main shock of the Loma Prieta
earthquake. The film records were digitized and processed as discussed in detail by Brady and Mork 3. As
seen in Figure 1, although they are all parallel to the
principal directions of the building, some of the sensors
have opposite positive directions. To be consistent, all
records were first converted to the 045-NE and 135-SE
directions prior to analyses by changing the sign of
records in the 225 and 315 directions (angles are from
the true north in clockwise direction, as shown in Figure
1).
Plots of the recorded accelerations and their Fourier
amplitude spectra are given in Figure 2. Similar plots for
the absolute displacements (i.e., ground displacement
plus the building's displacement), calculated from recorded accelerations, are given in Figure 3. Figures 2 and
3 include the peak accelerations and displacements for
each channel. To see the two-dimensional behaviour of
the building, the time variation of the relative centre
displacements (with respect to the basement) along the
height of the building in the 045-NE and 135-SE
directions are presented in Figure 4. The zeroth floor in
the figure corresponds to the ground floor. For the floors
that are not instrumented, the displacements are approxi-

0141-0296/93/060403-19
1993 Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd

Engng Struct. 1993, Volume 15, Number 6 403

Earthquake response of 42-storey steel-frame building: E. Safak

CHEVRON BUILDING ( 5 7 5 MARKET, SAN FRANCISCO) INSTRUMENTATION
N

04S

!:"

315 ~

135

w 225

-- 42

--34
42nd,34th & 25th FLOORS
-- 25

I.

l
[-.

"&"

"d

,.]

GROUND FLOOR

GROUND
NORTH-~ST SIDLE:
(Facing Markot Street)

NORTH-FAST SIDE
(Facing 2nd Street)

3~s.~u

SENSORS

v~c~.
HORIZONTAL

vO"~

BASEMENT

Figure I Schematicelevation and plan views of building, and locations and directions of accelerometers
xl04

RECORDED HORIZONTAL ACCELERATIONS AND THEIR PEAK VALUES

'

2.5

1500
34-045, N'W-End

~.

25 -045, NW-End

, v,

5o034-o45,ce%er

"

10O0

FOURIER AMPLITUDE SPECTRA OF ACCELERATIONS

'

0.15
2

0.19

~"A,

1.5

34-045 NW-End

25-o45,mv-~nd

~15

42-045, Cente~

I
0 3r-045, Center

"~

Bs-O45,~

0.12

Z V ~

''''~ ~

-~o0~2-135, ~Center
= -V~

-s

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E3s-135, Center

1'o

1;

2;

2;

3'0

3'5

Gr-045, Center

4;

45

Time (sec)

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B,-0,~.C,,ter
"=-!~ e.,er

.
7"

~.c/)~

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0.08

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.. I.

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<

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-15o0

0.5

0.11

34-1 5. Center

=5-,35,Cent.

".

Gr-135,Center

1.5

2.5

3.5

4.5

Frequency (Hz)

Figure 2 (a) Recorded horizontal accelerations and their peak values; (b) Fourier amplitude spectra of accelerations
mated by linear interpolation (i.e. straight lines) between
the instrumented floors. The following observations can
be made from Figures 2-4.

(2)

(1) There are significant contributions to the response

(3)

from higher modes, because: (a), Figure 4 clearly

shows displacement peaks at the 34th and 25th
floors; and (b), the largest accelerations recorded
are not at the top floor, but at the 25th floor (0.23 g)

(4)

404

Engng Struct. 1993, Volume 15, Number 6

for the 045-NE direction, and at the 34th floor

(0.18 g) for the 135-SE direction
Accelerations are dominated by three frequencies,
near 0.2 Hz, 0.6 Hz, and 1.0 Hz
Displacements are dominated by the first modes in
both directions, and as expected, are much larger in
the weaker 045-NE direction (25.13cm versus
8.02 cm)
Dominant frequencies for displacements are

Earthquake response of 42-storey steel-frame building." E. Safak

FOURIER AMPLITUDE SPECTRA OF DISPLACEMENTS

xl04

HORIZONTAL DISPLACEMENTS AND THEIR PEAK VALUES

150

42-045,
NW-End ~
.34-045,
NW-End
100

cm

1.5
42-045, NW-End

25-045, NW-End

2-045,
Center

34-045, NW-End

.13

25-045,
NW-End

50 34-045, Center

42-045, Center

25-045, Center

=
0

~=

Gr-045, Center

25-045, Center

Bs-045, Center

Q,

34-045, Center

0.5

6.59

<

Gr-045, Center

' iI -

Bs-045, Center

0,2-135, Center

.02

-50 34-135, Center

89

25-135, Center

7.38

_Gr-135,Center

5.30

25-135, Center

Bs-135, Center

3.46

Gr-135, Center

-100

-0.

42-135, Center
34-135, Center

Bs-!35, Cen!er
a

.5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Time (sec)

Figure 3

(5)

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0'.6

0.7

0.8

0.9

Frequency (Hz)

(a) Absolute horizontal displacements and their peak values; (b) Fourieramplitudespectra of displacements

0.16 Hz in the 045-NE direction, and 0.20 Hz in

the 135-SE direction
Torsion is not significant, because the 045-NE
displacements at the centre and the edge of the
building have similar amplitudes

System

identification

Method
The dominant peaks observed in the Fourier spectra are
due not only to the natural frequencies of the building,
but also to the dominant frequencies of the ground
motion. To separate the two, we use system identification
algorithms that incorporate both the input (i.e., the
ground excitation) and the output (i.e., the response) of
the building. The algorithm we will use for the identification is based on discrete-time linear filtering, and the
least-squares approximation technique. The details and
applications of the algorithm can be found elsewhere 4' s
In the very general form of the algorithm, the building is
modelled as a time-varying, discrete-time filter with three
inputs representing the three orthogonal components of
the recorded ground motion, and one or more outputs
representing the recorded motions in the upper floors.
Preliminary studies using adaptive filters have shown
that the behaviour of the Chevron Building was linear
during the earthquake. Also, because the building is fairly
regular and symmetric, the response in any one of the
principal directions was mainly due to the excitation in
that direction only. The first observation suggests that
the building can be modelled as a linear, time-invariant
filter, and the second suggests that the identification can
be done separately for each direction assuming singleinput and single-output for the filter. Any pair of accelerations, velocities, or displacements can be used as the
input and output in the identification. Displacements are
recommended to identify low frequencies, while accelerations are more appropriate for high frequencies6.
As the Fourier amplitude plots in Figures 2 and 3
indicate, the vibration of the building is dominated by
low frequencies. This is to be expected because of the
building's slenderness and steel frame construction.
Therefore, we choose displacements for the identification.
For each horizontal direction, we take the basement

displacement as the input, and any one of the relative

displacements (with respect to the basement) at the 42nd,
34th, or 25th floors as the output of the filter. For each
input-output pair, we identify the filter by completing the
following steps
(1)
(2)

Determine the time delay between input and output

Determine the number of identifiable modes (i.e.,
the filter order)
(3) Select the model order and calculate filter para:
meters
(4) Check for pole-zero cancellations in the identified
filter
(5) Check the autocorrelation of residuals (i.e., the
difference between the recorded output and the
output from the identified model) for whiteness and
the cross-correlation of residuals with input for
independence
(6) Compare the output of the identified model with the
recorded output
(7) If items 4, 5 and 6 are satisfactory, calculate the
transfer function, modal frequencies, damping
ratios, and modal components of the output; if
not, return to (3) and select a new model
A detailed explanation of each step and the relevant
equations can be found elsewhere. 4' 6

Transfer functions and modal characteristics

Using the methodology outlined above we identified the
building using three different input-output sets in each
principal direction. Identified transfer functions for the
relative centre displacements of the 42nd, 34th and 25th
floors are plotted in Figure 5 for the 045-NE and
135-SE directions. Comparisons of the outputs of identified filters with the recorded displacements at the 42nd,
34th and 25th floors are given in Figure 6 for the
045-NE direction, and in Figure 7 for the 135-SE
direction. The match is satisfactory for all the components. Modal frequencies and damping ratios corresponding to the first four modes of the identified transfer
functions in Figure 5 are given in Tables 1 and 2.
Because of the coupled modes (i.e., modes with components in both principle directions), some of the frequencies are nearly identical in both directions (differences

Engng Struct. 1993, Volume 15, Number 6

405

Earthquake response of 42-storey steel-frame building: E. Safak

Time-varying relative displacements (w.r.t. basement)

of the Chevron Building in the northeast (045-degree)
direction during the Loma Prieta Earthquake.

Time-varying relative displacements (w.r.t. basement)

of the Chevron Building in the southeast (135-degree)
direction during the Loma Prieta Earthquake.

Figure 4 Timevariation

of relative centre displacements (with respect to basement) in (a) 045-NE; (b) 135-SE directions, along height of
building assuming straight lines between instrumented floors (zeroth floor corresponds to ground floor)

within +0.02 Hz should be attributed to numerical

roundoff errors). Coupled modes will be studied in more
detail in the next section. For some modes, calculated
modal damping ratios differ slightly depending on the
output component used in the identification. In addition
to numerical roundoff errors, these differences are due to
the presence of nonclassical modes exhibiting nonpro-

406

Engng Struct. 1993, Volume 15, Number 6

portional damping (a method to detect the existence of

such modes has been given by $afak6). For nonclassical
modes, the damping values given in Table I represent the
equivalent-proportional damping ratios.
In Tables 1 and 2, the modes are given in the order of
proximity of pole locations of the identified filter to the
unit circle in the complex plane, i.e., the first mode

Earthquake response of 42-storey steel-frame building." E. Safak

A M P L I T U D E S OF TRANSFER FUNCTIONS IN 135 (NW-SE) DIRECTION

AMPLITUDES OF TRANSFER FUNCTIONS IN 045 (SW-NE) DIRECTION

lg

20

18

--

16

14

16

42nd FI. /Basement (4-Modes)

. . . . . 34th R. / Basement (4-Modes)

14

..... 25th FL / Basement (10-Modes)

12

12
I0

. . . . . 34th FI. / Basement (4-Modes)

_ . . 25th F1./Basement (8-Modes)

10

2
=

42nd FI. / Basement (8-Modes)

__

<
8

6
6

;
4

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

Figure5

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

Frequency (Hz)

Frequency ( H z )

Identified transfer functions for 42nd, 34th, and 25th floors in (a) 045*-NE; (b) 135"-SE directions

Table I

Identified modal frequencies and damping ratios in 045*-NE direction

Mode 1

Mode 2

Mode 3

Mode 4

Input-output

f(Hz)

~(%)

f(Hz)

~(%)

f(Hz)

(%)

f(Hz)

~(%)

Basement-42nd floor

0.16

2.05

0.61

10

1.18

Basement-34th floor

0.16

1.63

1.02

2.34

Basement-25th floor

0.16

0.54

1.03

2.01

Table 2

Identified modal frequencies and damping ratios in 135-SE direction

Mode 1

Mode 2

Mode 3

Mode 4

Input-output

f(Hz)

~(%)

f(Hz)

4(%)

f(Hz)

~(%)

f(Hz)

~(%)

Basement-42nd floor

0.20

0.62

10

2.21

1.15

Basement-34th floor

0.22

1.57

1.09

2.39

Basement-25th floor

0.22

10

0.63

3.21

1.15

corresponds to the filter pole closest to the unit circle.

Because of this, the mode numbers do not necessarily
represent the same modes. For the basement-42nd floor
pair, for example, the mode identified as the third mode
in the 045-NE direction is identified as the second mode
in the 135-SE direction.
To calculate the contribution of each mode to each
output component, we convert the identified filters into
sums of second-order filters by using partial fractions
expansion 4. Calculated modal contributions to the
045-NE and 135-SE displacements of the 42nd, 34th,
and 25th floors are given in Figures 8-10 for the modes
presented in Table 1. For comparison the recorded total
displacement (the dotted line) is also given in the figure.
As expected, first modes generally dominate the response
at all locations.
From an inspection of the modal contributions in
Figures 8-10, we can determine six significant modes for
the building. They are given in Table 3.

Mode shapes
An accurate estimation of the mode shapes requires
measurements of the building's motion at a sufficiently
large number of floors above the ground level. In the
Chevron Building, there are only three instrumented
floors above ground level. Considering the height and the
Table 3

Mode
Number
1
2
3
4
5
6

Significant modes of building

Frequency
(Hz)

Averaged
damping ratio
(%)

0.16
0.20
0.54
0.62
1.02
1.09

5
7
3
9
7
9

Engng Struct. 1993, Volume 15, Number 6

407

Earthquake response of 42-storey steel-frame building. E. Safak

RECORDED,
, (solid !ine) VS. CALCULATED,
,
(dashed line) OUTPUT

40

^
,,,l~,

20

,'%

42nd FI., 045-Deg.

4-Mode model
-

/~.

0
o

-20

t
-40

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Time (sec.)

RECORDED (solid line) VS. CALCULATED (dashed line,) OUTPUT

34th FI., 045-Deg.
'\,;
,,,' ',

20

odel

10
0
-10
iI

-20

.I

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Time (sec.)
20

RECORDED,
, (solid !ine) VS. CALCULATED,
,
(dashed line) OUTPUT,
~,
/A

t~

10

25th FI., 045-Deg.

10-Mode model

" i/~

,..d
.iml

ip

,-d

-10

'

"

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Time (sec.)
Figure 6 Comparison of outputs (---) of identified filters with recorded relative displacements (

) at the 42nd, 34th and 25th floors in

045*-NE direction
flexibility of the building, this is insufficient instrumentation to accurately estimate the mode shapes for all the
significant modes. A simple approximation would be to
assume that the mode shapes between the instrumented
floors are straight lines. We estimate the mode shapes for
the six significant modes given in Table 3. For this, we

408

Engng Struct. 1993, Volume 15, Number 6

first bandpass filter the relative displacements by using

narrow-band filters centred around each modal frequency. The filters are applied in both directions to keep the
phase information unchanged. Using the filtered displacements, we plot the configuration of the building's
cross-section at the 42nd, 34th, and 25th floors for four

Earthquake response of 42-storey steel-frame building." E. Safak

10

RECORDED,
, (solid line) VS. CALCULATED,
,
(dashed line) OUTPUT,
42nd FI., 135-Deg.
A
A
A
8-Mode model

t
.10 /

'

'

10

15

'

'

20
25
Time (see.)

-5

35

'

40

45

J\
0

'

30

,,

c~

'

RECORDED (solid line) VS. CALCULATED (dashed line) OUTPUT

34th FI., 135-Deg.
,-. 4-Mode\model

10

(J

Y'V v
I

,'..,
,,,

,,

,,,

,,,

ta
b

-10

'

'

15

10

20
25
Time (sec.)

30

35

40

45

RECORDED (solid line) VS. CALCULATED (dashed line) OUTPUT

.
25th FI., 135-Deg.
"
8-Mode model
Z

10

V
I

,',

;.

;',

e t

~,.

ii

-5
iI

-10

'

'

'

10

15

'

'

20
25
Time (sec.)

'

'

'

30

35

40

45

Figure 7 Comparison of outputs ( - - - ) of identified filters with recorded relative displacements ( - - ) at 42nd, 34th and 25th floors in
135-SE direction

specific times corresponding to four successive peaks in

the band-passed displacements. These plots are given in
Figures 11-16 for the six significant modes. In addition,
we plot the modal particle motions of the centre at the
42nd, 34th and 25th floors for the same six modes (they
are not given in the paper due to space limitations).

Based on Figures 11-16 and particle motion plots we can

draw the following conclusions for the mode shapes

(1)

The dominant shape of the mode at 0.16 Hz is the

first translational mode in the 045-NE direction,
where all the floors move in the same direction. The

Engng Struct. 1993, Volume 15, Number 6

409

Earthquake response of 42-storey steel-frame building: E. ~afak

42-045; MODE: 1

4ol
E

20

ca.

42-045; MODE: 2

40
E
(:k

20
,

~ - ~ .

4 i = :. ~..:

,..d

-20

-20

-40
0

-40

50

50

Time (see)
40

Time (sec)

42-045; MODE: 3

20

;, i

42-045; MODE: 4

40

,..d

e~
,~,,=

,..d

,..d

-20

-..

-20

-40
0

-40

50

50

Time (sec)
42-135; MODE: 1
f=0.20
0.06

10
E

Time (sec)

5
0

,..d

0
::

-5

-10
0

-5
-10

50

::

i:.

::

....

'.

"..:"

50
Time (sec)

42-135; MODE: 3
f=2.21
; .': ....':
d=0.03

~::
!.:

Time (sec)
10

42-135; MODE: 2
f=0.62
;..:,:
d=0.]0

10

10

11ii /i

'

?!.

42-135; MODE: 4
f=l.15

=o.o7

,.V

,,

t:u

-5
-10
0

50
Time (sec)

Figure 8

-10
0

50
Time (sec)

Modal contributions to 045-NE and 1350-SE relative displacements of 42nd floor from first four modes. (...) total relative
displacement, given for comparison

410

Engng Struct. 1993, Volume

15, N u m b e r 6

Earthquake response of 42-storey steel-frame building: E. ,~afak

34-045: MODE: 1

20
E

34-045; MODE: 2
f=1.63
!:~ ::
d=0.04

2O
"~

10

10

ii~i

"~

....

! ?

? i

f:~2: i ::

i i

) ;

-\
"

"

,-.d

-10

-10
-20

-20

50

0
Time (sec)

Time (sec)
34-045; MODE: 3
f=l.02
:'~
d=O,08

20
E

10

34-045; MODE: 4
f=2.34
/::
d=0.06
:;~ -i :
~-i! ~i i~ .....

20
i

10

I;:x,

:i

-10
-20

;i i/ 'j '

="

o
=

-10
-20

50

\.:

E
o
~.,1

10],
,~

.%'.

"~

-5
-10

-5
-10

50

J
'i i/ii

)~

:~

Time (sec)

ill

34-135; MODE: 2
~ f=1.57
, {iI i'i
d=0.03

'0I

0 6 "=

.==

50
Time (sec)

34-135: MODE: 1
f=0.20
~

. .:

Time (sec)
10

50

50
Time (sec)

34-135; MODE: 3
:
f=l.09
[i
ii
d=O.09
!.!: ~:. ..

10
E

,.1

34-135; MODE: 4
" .,!
f=2.39
i!
d=0.05
~,~
""
i

%=J

.~

-5
-10

-5

50
Time (sec)

-10

50
Time (sec)

Figure 9

Modal contributions to 045-NE and 135-SE relative displacements of 34th floor from first four modes. (...) total relative
displacement, given for comparison

Engng Struct. 1993, Volume 15, Number 6

411

Earthquake response of 42-storey steel-frame building. E. Safak

25-045; MODE: 1

20 I
E

f=0.16
d=0.05

10

0
.

-10
-20

il ~

,1

25-045; MODE: 2

2O

,..j
o

o~

-10
-20
0

50

50

Time (sec)

Time (sec)

25-045; MODE: 3
f=l.03

25-045; MODE: 4
f=2.01

20

10

-10

~il ~i

~:..

".

-20

,I

50
Time (sec)

25-135; MODE: 1

i: '.. ~-

10
E

a-'.~

25-135; MODE: 2

=a,

d=O.05
:-.~

~ii :ii i/ .:

-10

Time (sec)

:i

-20
0

50

10

,..J

20

i~

f=0.54
d=0.03

-5
-10

o
=

-5
-10

50

50

Time (sec)
10

Time (sec)

25-135; MODE: 3

10

25-135; MODE: 4

5
o

.......'"~.-L~

,./~!..,/'- .

".:.

iii"

0
t,,,,,,,I

-5

50
Time (sec)

-10
0

50
Time (sec)

Figure 10 Modal contributions to 045-NE and 135-SE relative displacements of 25th floor from first four modes. (...) total relative
displacement, given for comparison

412

Engng Struct. 1993, Volume 15, Number 6

Earthquake response of 42-storey steel-frame building: E. Safak

60

42-

40

25-o45

20

.....

...."'"',.."" "".2""....

"

Gr-045

!
2
i
e~

-20

42-135

............

34-135

........

25-135

, .... -. ~
2.-" .... "'.- ..... ."

-40

Gr-135

-60
0

10

."-'.

."-".

~ ...............

' ..... ""

. . . . . . . . . . . .

il
15

, ,3
20

25

30

35

40

Time (sec.)

I'
i

h ]i
I21

[11

;t= . . . . .

'---?~-iii:::~:~:~li
,

i
t

:
t
i

i
i

i ..................................

'
4- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I
4-

Figure I I Modal configuration of cross-section at 42nd ( - - ) , 34th ( - - - ) , and 25th ( - - . - - ) floors at four specific times corresponding to
four successive peaks in modal displacement time histories for mode at 0.16 Hz (in 045 and 135 directions (the dotted rectangle with + signs
at corners is original configuration of cross-section)

m o d e includes a small a m o u n t of torsion, as evidenced by the cross-sectional configuration given in

(2) Figure 11

The m o d e at 0.20 H z is the first translationaltorsional m o d e with a d o m i n a n t translational comp o n e n t in the direction of the east-west diagonal of
the building (approximately in the 75 direction at
the 42nd floor). The translational c o m p o n e n t has
the form of a first m o d e (i.e., all three floors move in

(3)

the same direction), but the torsional c o m p o n e n t

does not. As Figure 12 shows, the 25th floor rotates
opposite to the 34th and 42nd floors. The particle
m o t i o n plot shows that the d o m i n a n t direction of
the m o d e shape changes along the height because of
the torsional c o m p o n e n t of the mode, and becomes
approximately 95 at the 25th floor
The m o d e at 0.54 H z is the second translational
m o d e in the 0 4 5 - N E direction, where the 25th and

Engng Struct. 1993, Volume 15, Number 6 413

Earthquake response of 42-storey steel-frame building." E. Safak

50
40

42-

30
E

20

i iiill i -ill

25 04"5

.... iiiiiii ........

.......

"

Gr-045

10
0

42-135 , , ' " ' , ,

,,.q

-10

3.4.-135

-30
-40

..'" .....

".,

-20

",

...'"

i ,"

'"

,
.

!",

',

,'

,,

,'

'

,,

:.,

Gr-135

,1

10

15

,3

20

25

30

35

Time (sec.)

~. ................

~ . . . . . . . . . . . . .
:%

al
1

:tl I
!!~

= :

li::_--.:_-22_-_.._,4-

+ ..................
;'7" ................

'~

'

:'u
i! ~

,,~

r,
a ' . . . . . . . . . . . . .

:[, ............

[1

!a
:lu

+!l I

+,*

t l

iiI,

!i;"

t ;+

4- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

LJ

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
0 i-l- . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

;!
?"
4-

Figure 12 Modal configuration of cross-section at 42nd ( - - ) , 34th ( - - - ) , and 25th ( - - . - - ) floors at four specific times corresponding to
four successive peaks in modal displacement time histories for mode at 0.20 Hz in 045 and 135 directions (dotted rectangle with + signs at
corners is original configuration of cross-section)

(4)

414

34th floors move opposite to the 42nd floor. Similar

to the first mode at 0.16 Hz, this mode also exhibits
a small amount of torsion.
The mode at 0.62 Hz is the second translationaltorsional mode in the direction of the east-west
diagonal of the building. The translational components at the 42nd and 25th floors have roughly the
same east-west direction of the mode at 0.20 Hz, but
move opposite to each other (see time series and
cross-section plots in Fioure 14). The translational

Engng Struct. 1993, Volume 15, Number 6

(5)

component of the 34th floor is in the north-south

direction, opposite to that of the 25th and 42nd
floors, and its 045-NE component is in phase with
that of the 25th floor, whereas its 135-SE component is in phase with that of the 42nd floor. The
torsional components of the mode have opposite
directions at the 42nd and 25th floors, and approximately zero amplitude at the 34th floor.
The mode at 1.02 Hz is also a translationaltorsional mode, with largest amplitudes occurring

Earthquake response of 42-storey steel-frame building: E. Safak

20

15
.

10

". . . . . . , - ,

"'~--" ,'-,

2 o45 .,' "',

Gr-

"

.o.

,'

'"'.i.'""

5""

" ' , - - " ,'7,

/",

.....

'.

',. i '
"

," ,

'
,

......

",
4.

,"

"

'

"
,

".

0
.19
3

42-135 . . . . . .

2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

-5
:

34-135 . . . . . . . .

-10

......... -. . . . . . . . . . . . .

-15

-20 4

Gr-135

.......................

16

18

~1

2,

:.3

20

22

24

26

Time (sec.)

0 ........................

1
[21

[1]

i. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[4]

[31

Ii

Figure 13

Modal configuration of cross-section at 42nd ( - - ) , 34th ( - - - - - - ) , and 25th ( - - . - - ) floors at four specific times
corresponding to four successive peaks in modal displacement time histories for mode at 0.54 Hz in 045 and 135 directions (the dotted
rectangle with + signs at corners is original configuration of cross-section)

(6)

at the 34th floor. The directions of the translational

components are approximately 125 at the 42nd
floor, and 335 at the 34th and 25th floors. The 42nd
floor moves opposite to the 34th and 25th floors.
Also, the 42nd and 34th floors rotate in the same
direction, but the 25th floor rotates in the opposite
direction. Another observation in this mode is the
noticeably high amplitudes at ground floor level
The mode at 1,09 Hz is again a translationaltorsional mode with translational components hav-

ing the same dominant direction of the previous

mode at 1.02 Hz. The largest amplitudes in this
mode occur at the 42nd floor. In the 045-NE
direction, the 42nd and 34th floors move opposite
to the 25th floor, while in the 135-SE direction the
42nd and 25th floors move opposite to the 34th
floor. Again the ground floor has significant amplitudes at this mode and they are in phase with that of
the 42nd floor. We also notice a phase shift of the
motion at the 25th floor, indicating the strong

E n g n g S t r u c t . 1 9 9 3 , V o l u m e 15, N u m b e r 6

415

Earthquake response of 42-storey steel-frame building: E. Safak

25

-04s

20
15
oE

10
5

e~

34:045..
25

-~lr5"

-,

.. ....

-..

.....

" "

-"

",

Gr-045

0
-5

4,Z-']3~',

-10

;~4.135

,,

'

'

,'

,,'

'

o~

42

-15
-20

,~.......

5-135_

_ .

" i

Gr-135

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

-25
16

17

18

19

,::1

o,-

--..,..
~

-. . . . . . .
"~

. -

-..

..

"

:
T. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

,2,
20

2}
21

,4,
22

23

24

25

Time (see.)

'il
c

':'
:

,:

_-a~.i.r.r.r'.z',r.,
t:

r 777.T."7.'

T ~+

1:

',

(31
c'-

...............

Figure 14 Modal configuration of cross-section at 42nd ( - - ) , 34th ( - - - ) , and 25th ( - - . - - ) floors at four specific times corresponding to
four successive peaks in modal displacement time histories for mode at 0.62 Hz in 045 and 135 directions (dotted rectangle with + signs at
corners in original configuration of cross-section)

nonproportionality of the mode. The directions of

rotational components at the 42nd and 34th floors
are opposite to that of the 25th floor.

their differences, i.e., the torsional displacements, at the

42nd, 34th and 25th floors. Peak values of each displacement component are also given in the figure. As the figure
shows, the torsional amplitudes are very small, about
10~o of the translational amplitudes.

Torsion
Although all the modes discussed above include some
torsion, the amplitudes of torsional vibrations are very
small. To show this, we plot in Figure 17 the relative
displacements (with respect to basement) measured by
the two parallel sensors in the 045-NE direction, and

416

Engng Struct. 1993, Volume 15, Number 6

Soil-structure interaction
The dynamic response of the building is likely to be
influenced by soil-structure interaction effects because of
the pile-foundation system and the soft soil conditions.

Earthquake response of 42-storey steel-frame building." E. Safak

25

-045

20
15
10
5

34-04~"'"-,
25-0z15 ..... .
.....

,"-:",

i'""

," ; ' ,
-'"

Gr-045

,"'"',
""

""

,,"'"',,
"'-

"'

""

0
-5

.4-2--I35
",

,'"" ""
," ",
-"
"', i ," i "', i ,,'

34-135"

"~.7""

-10

"~--"

~C~"

", . . . .

",,", ,'

~;..~'

-15
-20

Gr-135 ..............

-25
17

18

19

. ....

i]

, 2

. ....... -.~

20

..

, .;4

21

. . . . . . . . ..

22

23

Time (sec.)

i!
i I

:
:

Figure 15 Modal configuration of cross-section at 42nd ( - - ) , 34th ( - - - ) , and 25th ( - - . - - ) floors at four specific times corresponding to
four successive peaks in modal displacement time histories for mode at 1.02 Hz in 045 and 135 directions (dotted rectangle with + signs at
corners is original configuration of cross-section)

Since there are no downhole or nearby free-field recordings in the data set, we cannot extract the soil-structure
interaction effects explicitly from the available records
alone. We can, however, determine the frequencies that
are controlled by soil-structure interaction. A simple way
of doing this is to investigate the cross-spectra of upper
floor records with the basement records. If cross-spectra
have peaks with amplitudes comparable to those of the
auto-spectra of either component, the frequencies corresponding to these peaks represent the frequencies influenced by soil-structure interaction.

Figure 18 shows the cross-spectra of recorded horizontal accelerations at the centres of the 42nd, 34th and 25th
floors with the horizontal acceleration at the centre of the
basement for the 045-NE and 135-SE directions. Both
directions show a dominant peak around 1 Hz, indicating the frequency region controlled by soil-structure
interaction. Significant particle motion amplitudes observed at 1.02 Hz and 1.09 Hz for the ground floor are
also indications of the soil-structure interaction in this
frequency region. There are three possibilities for the
source of this peak: (a), it m a y be the dominant frequency

Engng

Struct.

1993,

Volume

15, Number

417

Earthquake response of 42-storey steel-frame building." E. Safak

15

10

25_-045
E

"-.

If

",

l"

j"

_._

i
0

Cl

42-135

"~
0

"

',

'

,'

-5
3;4-13.5

-10

' "~"

25-135

""

""

Gr-l.3~ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
,
18.5

-15
18

19

19.5

11

'

"~"

"'-"

"'"

i....... -....... , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
,

20

,3

20.5

,4

21

21.5

22

22.5

23

Time (sec.)

42nd FLOOR,

- - 34th FLOOR,

-.- 25th FLOOR

~.-~-,

:.

7--0 4. ....

,-

.,

:~,

: )
t.

:!
"2T-~_.

Figure 16

Modal configuration of cross-section at 42nd ( - - ) , 34th ( - - - ) , and 25th ( - - . - - ) floors at four specific times corresponding to
four successive peaks in modal displacement time histories for mode at 1.09 Hz in 045 and 135 directions (dotted rectangle with + signs at
corners is original configuration of cross-section)

of the surrounding soil medium; (b), it may be a frequency introduced by the pile-foundation system; or (c), it
may be due to the feedback from one or more modes of
the upper structure into the soil. We cannot make a
definite conclusion based on the available data alone. To
see the influence of soil-structure interaction in the upper
floors, we bandpass filtered the relative upper floor
displacements between 0.8 and 1.2 Hz, and compared
them to the unfiltered relative displacements. This corn-

418

E n g n g Struct. 1 9 9 3 , V o l u m e 15, N u m b e r 6

parison is given in Figure 19 for the 045-NE and

135-SE directions along with the m a x i m u m values of
the filtered and unfiltered relative displacements. As
Figure 19 shows, the influence of soil-structure interaction is significant. The ratios of filtered m a x i m u m peak
displacements to unfiltered ones at the 42nd, 34th, 25th,
and ground floors, respectively, are 0.08, 0.20, 0.23, and
0.35 in the 045-NE direction, and 0.18, 0.37, 0.57 and
0.34 in the 135-SE direction.

Earthquake response of 42-storey steel-frame building." E Safak

S,W-NE (.0~45-deg.),RFL. DISPL. AND TORSION AT 42ad FLOOR

80

42nd Fl.,Center. - .,' 'k.~, / /

", \ / /

60

/'~

._

-20

",\ / ,,/

',

42nd FI.,Torsion

/c~

,, ,

I0

~ ,,

15

"~

,,

,..,' 2.376 cn~:

25

,7:--'',-'~'~"

20

m a x = 2 6 ~ 2 cm.

30

35

40

45

Time (sec.)

60

SW-NE, (045-deg.), REL., DISPL., AND, TORSION, AT 34th, FLOOR,

max=16.57 cm.

40 ~
34th IN., Cemer ; ,,,;
20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _ , ,
34th FI., Torsion
0

-20
0

60

.
5

'

10

"-. . . .

15

1--..

"

2.591 cm.

.
.
20
25
Time (see.)

30

35

40

45

SW-NE (045-deg.) REL. DISPL. AND TORSION AT 25~ FLOOR

251hPl,Center

:~ ,,

20 ................",',:

;:',

,.,.,

.,

',

. :

25th FI.,Torslon

,"

,.

"

,"

:--.

"

,"

",

1.781 cm.

-20

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

Time (sec.)
Figure 17 Relativedisplacementsrecorded by two parallel sensors in 045*-NE direction, their differences representingtorsional displacements at (a) 42nd; (b) 34th; (c) 25th floors, and maximumvalues of each component

C o n c l u s i o n s

We have analysed the 14-channel data set from a 42storey steel-frame building, the Chevron Building in San
Francisco, obtained during the Ms = 7.1 Loma Prieta
earthquake of 17 October 1989. The analyses include
determining two-dimensional modal characteristics of
the building as well as the influence of torsion and
soil-structure interaction. The basic conclusions from the
analyses are as follows
(1)

The response is dominated by two modes: a translational mode in the 045-NE principal direction at
0.16 Hz with 5 ~ damping, and a translationaltorsional mode in the east-west direction along one

(2)

(3)
(4)

of the diagonals of the building's cross-section at

0.20 Hz with 7~o damping
There are significant contributions from higher
modes at frequencies 0.54 Hz, 0.62 Hz, 1.02 Hz and
1.09 Hz.
Although all the modes incorporate some torsion,
the amplitudes of torsional motions are negligible
Soil-structure interaction influences the vibrations
around 1.0Hz. The contribution of the soilstructure interaction to the response of upper-floors
is significant, and reaches the maximum value of
579/0 for the 135-SE peak displacement of the 25th
floor.

Engng Struct. 1993 Volume 15, Number 6

419

Earthquake response of 42-storey steel-frame building." E. Safak

2.5 x104

CROSS-SPECTRA
OF
REL. ACCEL.
IN 045 DIRECTION
!
w
i
i
i
!
=

-- 42nd F1. vs. Basement

-- 34th FI vs Basement
....

.
25th F1. vs. Basement

n/"
/^\
//~\
It\,

2
)

1.5

/
/

0.5
0
0

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.1t

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

Frequency (Hz)

1.5 x 1 0 4

CROSS-SPECTRA
OF
REL. iACCEL.= IN 135 DIRECTION
!
i
i
i
i

42nd F1. vs. Basement

"- 34th F1. vs. Basement
-... 25th FI. vs. Basement
--

",.t..
,

,
o
2

,
t

4.

i.

0.5
t

~.

,_.------: ......

0.2

0.4

0.6

0.8

1.2

1.4

1.6

1.8

Frequency (ttz)

Figure 18 Cross-spectra of relative horizontal accelerations at 42nd, 34th, and 25th floors with acceleration of basement in (a) 045*-NE, (b)
135"-SE directions

CONTRIBUTION OF SOIL-STRUCTURE INTERAC, IN 045 (SW-NE) D1R.

.
.
.
.

50
40

~2nd F L

30

. _

max=25.24 cm.
2.206

"

20

E
E

14.91
~2.906

10 14tb ~ .
0

15.17
3 . 5 1 5

-10
-20

"
.~round
FI
. . . . .

-30

1.022
0.36

..

-40
-50
a

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Time (sec.)
Figure 19 Contribution of soil-structure interaction to total relative displacements at 42nd, 34th, 25th, and ground floors in (a) 045*-NE; (b)
135-SE directions. ( - - ) displacements due to soil-structure interaction; (--.) are total relative displacements

420

Engng Struct. 1993, Volume 15, Number 6

Earthquake response of 42-storey steel-frame building." E. Safak

CONTRIBUTION OF SOIL-STRUCTURE INTERAC. IN 135 (NW-SE) DIR.
50
40
2nd
F1. , ... s . . . . . . ~ ~ : ~ _
--

30
20

":

:'i/::

10 ,4t.h.R:77~::~

max=6.819 cm.
1.261
7~?~ ..... ""-.......

'

"".
.' '.

:." -:

..

..... . . . .

8.59
.. 3.159

E
E

0
:5th FI ~

-10

6.667
3 .775.

-20

1.867
0.632

3round F1.

-30
-40

-50

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

Time (sec.)

Figure 19 (Cont.)

References
1 Maley, R. et aL US Geological Survey strong-motion records from
the Northern California (Loma Prieta) earthquake of October 17,
1989, Open-File Rep. 89-568, US Geological Survey, Menlo Park,
California 1989
2 Safak, E. and C,.elebi, M. 'Analyses of recorded responses of two
high-rise buildings during the Loma Prieta earthquake of October
17, 1989', Bull. Seism. Soc. Am., Special Issue on the Loma Prieta
Earthquake, October 1991, 2087-2110
3 Brady, A. G. and Mork, P. Loma Prieta, California, Earthquake,

October 18 (GMT), 1989: Processed strong-motion records, Volume 1, Open-File Rep. 90-247, US Geological Survey, Menlo Park,
California, 1990
4 Safak, E. Analysis of recordings in structural engineering: adaptive
filtering, prediction, and control, Open-File Rep. 88447, US Geological Survey, Menlo Park, California, 1988
5 Safak, E. 'Adaptive modeling, identification, and control of dynamic
structural systems. Part I: Theory, and Part II: Applications,' J.
Engng. Mech., ASCE, 1989, 115, (11) 2386-2426
6 Safak, E. 'Identification of linear structures using discrete-time
filters,' J. Struct. Engng., ASCE, 1991 117 (10) 3046-3085

Engng Struct. 1993, Volume 15, Number 6

421