Experimental and Analytical Study of Building Models (Frames) Subjected to Free Vibration Response Using Horizontal Shake Table

Shear wall and bracing systems are most commonly adopted lateral load resisting systems in tall buildings. Shear walls and Bracings systems possess very high in-plane strength and stiffness, which can be simultaneously used to resist high horizontal loads and in turn support gravity loads, making them advantageous in many applications of structural engineering. The present paper focuses on study of building models (frames), bare frame model including shear wall and X and V type bracings system subjected to free vibration response using a horizontal shake table for experimental (using shake table test), analytical (using ETABS software) and theoretical solution. The building models SDOF and MDOF (G + 2 and G + 3) systems are subjected to free vibration to required amplitude to study the vibrational characteristics in terms of natural frequency and mode shapes. It is observed that the natural frequency values obtained for the model including shear wall and bracing systems are higher than that of bare frame models. Hence the presence of shear wall and bracing systems adds 20–35% stiffness to the building frames. Further it is observed that the X bracing system is effective in resisting lateral forces as compared to other types of bracing systems.