Seismic performance of a tall RC chimney structure with an emphasis on vertical seismic behavior using shaking table test

IF 8.3 1区工程技术 Q1 ENGINEERING, CIVIL

Thin-Walled Structures Pub Date : 2026-05-01 Epub Date: 2026-02-14 DOI:10.1016/j.tws.2026.114676

Yue Zhuo , Hao Wu , Ying Zhou , Xilin Lu

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The effects of vertical seismic forces on high-rise structures like chimneys should not be underestimated. The simplified procedures for vertical seismic force in the Chinese chimney design code show notable discrepancies from observations and case analyses, particularly regarding the distribution and amplification trends of peak vertical seismic forces, which may lead to design inaccuracies. With the aim of studying the dynamic response characteristics of tall reinforced concrete chimneys under vertical seismic excitation, experimental research was conducted on a 1/30 scaled model of a typical 210 m tall single-flue reinforced concrete chimney by shaking table test. Such chimneys are thin-shell structures with no floors and have the characteristic of being slender and tall, with a simple and widely representative structural form. The results show that the chimney structure meets the seismic design target under earthquakes with an intensity of 7 (PGA 0.1 g) based on Chinese code and did not collapse under the earthquake input of intensity 9 (PGA 0.62 g). Two instances of damage were observed in the model during the tests: one caused primarily by horizontal ground motion, located near 4/5 of the structure's height, and the other due to the combined effect of both horizontal and vertical ground motion, located near 2/3 of the structure's height. The vertical seismic acceleration response increases significantly in the upper part of the model, with the maximum vertical acceleration amplification factor reaching over 10. Additionally, the contribution of vertical seismic stress increases with height. As the peak ground acceleration input increases, alternating tensile and compressive stresses are observed around the 2/3 height of the chimney, with this region gradually enlarging and propagating downward. This indicates a vulnerable zone in the chimney structure. Moreover, it is found that the vertical seismic force response of the chimney deviates significantly from the impulse method as provided in the Chinese “Code for design of chimneys” (GB50051-2013), which warrants further attention.

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采用振动台试验研究了钢筋混凝土烟囱结构的竖向抗震性能

竖向地震力对烟囱等高层结构的影响不可低估。中国烟囱设计规范中简化的竖向地震力计算程序与观测和实例分析存在显著差异，特别是在竖向地震力峰值的分布和放大趋势方面，这可能导致设计不准确。为研究高层钢筋混凝土烟囱在竖向地震作用下的动力响应特性，采用振动台试验方法，对典型210 m高单烟道钢筋混凝土烟囱进行了1/30比例模型的试验研究。这种烟囱为无地板的薄壳结构，具有细长、高大的特点，结构形式简单，具有广泛的代表性。结果表明：烟囱结构在中国规范烈度为7 （PGA 0.1 g）的地震条件下满足抗震设计指标，在烈度为9 （PGA 0.62 g）的地震输入条件下不发生倒塌。在试验过程中，在模型中观察到两种破坏情况：一种主要是由水平地面运动引起的，位于结构高度的4/5附近，另一种是由于水平和垂直地面运动的综合影响，位于结构高度的2/3附近。模型上部竖向地震加速度响应显著增大，竖向加速度放大系数最大可达10以上。竖向地震应力的贡献随高度的增加而增大。随着峰值地面加速度输入的增加，在烟囱2/3高度附近出现拉压交变应力，该区域逐渐扩大并向下传播。这表明烟囱结构中有一个脆弱的区域。此外，烟囱竖向地震力反应与中国《烟囱设计规范》（GB50051-2013）规定的冲击法有明显偏差，值得进一步关注。

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来源期刊

Thin-Walled Structures 工程技术-工程：土木

CiteScore

9.60

自引率

20.30%

发文量

801

审稿时长

66 days

期刊介绍： Thin-walled structures comprises an important and growing proportion of engineering construction with areas of application becoming increasingly diverse, ranging from aircraft, bridges, ships and oil rigs to storage vessels, industrial buildings and warehouses. Many factors, including cost and weight economy, new materials and processes and the growth of powerful methods of analysis have contributed to this growth, and led to the need for a journal which concentrates specifically on structures in which problems arise due to the thinness of the walls. This field includes cold– formed sections, plate and shell structures, reinforced plastics structures and aluminium structures, and is of importance in many branches of engineering. The primary criterion for consideration of papers in Thin–Walled Structures is that they must be concerned with thin–walled structures or the basic problems inherent in thin–walled structures. Provided this criterion is satisfied no restriction is placed on the type of construction, material or field of application. Papers on theory, experiment, design, etc., are published and it is expected that many papers will contain aspects of all three.