Slab vibration and horizontal–vertical coupling in the seismic response of low-rise irregular base-isolated and conventional buildings

Abstract

This paper evaluates factors that may influence slab vibration and/or induce a horizontal–vertical (H-V) coupled response of buildings with mass irregularities. Responses are investigated through computational simulation of a hypothetical three-story building with base isolation and conventionally configured. Induced mass eccentricities are observed to influence, in an unpredictable way, the vertical slab acceleration and the H-V coupled response, which is identified through modal analysis and floor spectral analysis. The implications of vertical slab vibrations and H-V coupling behavior on the design forces for nonstructural components and systems (NCSs) are evaluated, and modifications are proposed for consideration.