CE research may benefit future designs of world's tallest skyscrapers

Research conducted at Purdue University could potentially change how the world designs its tallest buildings.

With more than $700,000 in funding from the Charles Pankow Foundation and support from the American Institute of Steel Construction, Amit Varma, professor of civil engineering and Bowen Lab director, is leading a pair of research efforts on the use of concrete-filled composite plate shear walls (CF-CPSW). The three-year project aims to generate experimental data and numerical models that will lead to guidelines for optimizing design and speeding construction schedules for high-rise buildings.

In addition to speeding the construction process, the research could result in more creative options for skyscraper designs. “When you’re designing and constructing tall buildings — 50 stories tall and higher — you have to design for wind shear,” Varma says. “Buildings get more flexible as they get taller, so you need a solid core of reinforced concrete.”

The tried-and-true concrete and rebar core is effective, but it can limit design options. “You can’t realistically design the core for anywhere else but in connection to the elevator area,” he says. “It’s just too thick to work anywhere else. The taller the building, the thicker the core needs to be.”

In July, Varma and his team began testing at the Robert L. and Terry L. Bowen Laboratory for Large-Scale Engineering Research using scale versions of the CF-CPSW. The core consists of two steel plates that serve as the framework and main reinforcement. Concrete is then poured in between the steel frames.

“We’ve had to come up with an entirely new test setup for the walls,” says graduate student April Wang. “These walls have been used before, but in just a few cases. Our goal here is to extensively test them and write them into code.”

Ron Klemencic, Charles Pankow Foundation board director, says he is looking forward to seeing — and utilizing — the results from Varma’s research. Klemencic also is chairman and CEO of Magnusson Klemencic Associates.

“Concrete-filled composite plate shear walls represent the next generation of tall building structural systems, providing a significant schedule benefit over more traditional construction methods,” Klemencic says. “Magnusson Klemencic Associates is already incorporating this system into a 900-foot-tall tower in Seattle and anticipates many, many more buildings will adopt this system for its efficiency and speed of construction.”

Phase one of research is expected to continue through summer 2018.

Pankow Foundation funds high-strength reinforcement research

The Charles Pankow Foundation also is funding a research effort led by Robert Frosch, professor of civil engineering and associate dean for resource planning and management for the College of Engineering.

Frosch’s team received $260,000 in January to research and address the development and splicing of reinforcement for seismic and non-seismic applications. Special attention will be given to splicing of high-strength reinforcement at the bases of walls for structures required to resist earthquake demands.

Mark Perniconi, the executive director of the Charles Pankow Foundation, says Purdue Civil Engineering’s proven record of thorough and respected research has made the school a valuable and trusted partner.

“The Charles Pankow Foundation has deep ties to the Lyles School of Civil Engineering, and we are extremely pleased to be sponsoring several research projects at the Bowen Lab,” Perniconi says. “It is one of the preeminent structural engineering research labs in the world.”

Research on this project is scheduled to continue through September 2018.