DCABLE BRACING SYSTEM FOR TALL BUILDINGS

Abstract

Selection of wind force resisting system is an important decision in the design of tall buildings, especially for those located in hurricane prone regions. Rigid frames, shear walls, braced frames, framed tube, bundled tube and hybrid system are the common structural forms used to resist lateral forces produced due to wind. Cables have a great potential to be used as a structural element. Cable stayed and hanging bridges and guyed towers are the common structural applications of cables. Not much work has been done to use cables for bracing tall buildings against the lateral movement produced by natural forces like wind and earthquakes. This research work proposes an external cable bracing system for tall buildings which may be used in the future for high-rise structures. A sixty story tall building has been analyzed for the wind speed recommended for Miami, FL., USA., using a shear wall bracing system and the proposed cable bracing system. Comparison of structural performance of the two systems is presented to establish the suitability of the cable bracing system as a part of the wind force resisting system.