Response of higherise buildings to ground motion from underground nuclear detonations

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Abstract
Typical data obtained thus far in the AEC nuclear test program on the response of highrise Las Vegas buildings to ground motion from distant nuclear events including Boxcar and Benham are presented, together with measured building response to distant earthquakes and to wind gusts. Major variations in response spectra are shown over the city for a specific event, from period band to period band at the same location for different events, and statistical parameters are shown for the randomness of spectral response. The peak response of tall buildings is shown for the top levels in translation and in orbital motion, and in the vertical plane with simultaneous multi-level measurements. The variation of peak modal response is shown with elapsed time, modal combinations are noted, and an example of time-history computed response is compared to measured response. It is shown that highrise Las Vegas buildings respond to ground motion with considerable amplification, that the fundamental modes tend to dominate the peak responses although there are exceptions, that there can be significant modification of loading conditions because of simultaneous motion in the two horizontal axes even though a building is symmetric, and that some building periods vary with amplitude and history of non-damaging prior response while others do not. In general there are indications that code earthquake design criteria are by no means conservative.

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