Differential shortening

of tall steel building columns

By Bungale S. Taranath, Ph.D., S.E.
JANUARY 2011
2 PDH Professional Development Advertising Section Bentley Systems, Inc.
Differential shortening of tall steel building columns
By Bungale S. Taranath, Ph.D., S.E.
C
olumns in tall buildings
experience large axial
displacements because
they are relatively long
and accumulate gravity loads from
a large number of floors. A 60-story
column of a steel building, for exam-
ple, may shorten as much as 4 to 5
inches (100 to 125 mm) at the top.
If such a shortening is not given due
consideration, problems may develop
in providing level floors and assuring
trouble-free performance of building
cladding systems. Proper awareness
of this problem is necessary on the
part of structural engineer, architect,
and curtain wall supplier to avoid
unwelcome arguments, lost time, and
money.
The maximum shortening of a
column occurs at the roof level, reduc-
ing to zero at the base. Very little can
be done to minimize the physical
phenomenon of shortening, but the
design team should be aware of the
problem particularly at the building
exterior, so that soft joints are provided,
if need be, between the building frame
and cladding to prevent axial load
being unwittingly transferred into the
buildings faade. Before fabrication
of cladding, the in-place elevations of
the structural frame should be verified,
and if required, the cladding should
be manufactured to fit the existing
field condition of the steel frame. The
design should provide for sufficient
space between the cladding panels to
allow for the movement of the struc-
ture. Insufficient space may result in
bowed cladding components or, in
extreme cases, the cladding panels
may even pop out of the building.
A similar problem occurs when
mechanical and plumbing lines are
attached rigidly to the structure. Frame
shortening may force the pipes to act
as structural columns resulting in their
distress. A general remedy is to make
sure that nonstructural elements do
not bear vertical loads. This is done by
separating them from the structural
elements.
The axial loads in all columns of a
building are seldom the same, giving
rise to the problem of so-called differ-
ential shortening. The problem is
more acute in a composite structure
because steel erection columns that
are later encased in concrete are typi-
cally slender, and are therefore subject
to large axial loads during construc-
tion. Determining the magnitude of
axial shortening in a composite system
is complicated because many of the
variables that contribute to the short-
ening cannot be predicted with suffi-
cient accuracy. Consider, for example,
the lower part of the composite
column that is continually undergo-
ing creep. The steel erection column
during construction is partly enclosed
in concrete at the lower floors, with
the bare steel column projecting
several floors above the concreted
level. Another factor that is difficult to
predict is the gravity load redistribu-
tion due to frame action of columns
and, if the building is founded on
compressible material, the settlement
of the foundation is another factor
that influences the relative changes
in the elevation of the columns. The
magnitude of load imbalance between
any two columns is continually chang-
ing, making an accurate assessment of
column shortening rather a challeng-
ing task.
Differential rather than the abso-
lute shortening of columns is more
significant. Relative displacement
between columns occurs because
of the difference between the axial
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Learning Objectives
After reading this article, you should be able to do the
following:
Explain differential shortening of columns in tall steel
buildings.
Calculate axial displacement in columns using concise
hand calculations.
Explain the concepts behind column length correc-
tions.
Explain the importance of column shortening verifica-
tion during construction.
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stresses, or P/A ratios, of columns. P
is the axial load on and A is the area
of the column under consideration.
If all columns in a building were to
have the same P/A ratio under gravity
loads, there would be no relative verti-
cal movement between the columns.
In typical buildings, however, this
condition is seldom present. This is
because in buildings not all columns
are designed for the same axial loads.
For example, the design of frame
columns is governed by the combined
gravity and lateral loads while non-
frame columns are designed essen-
tially for gravity loads only. This results
in a rather large difference in the P/A
ratios between the exterior and inte-
rior columns. The differential column
shortening between perimeter and
interior columns may result in slop-
ing floors leading to unwelcome prob-
lems in setting partitions, doors, and
ceilings.
Consider, for example, a tubular
system with closely spaced exterior
columns and widely spaced interior
columns. Because of their large tribu-
tary areas, the interior columns are
more than likely to have large P/A
ratios. The exterior columns, on the
other hand, usually have a small P/A
ratio for two reasons. First, their tribu-
tary areas are small because of their
close spacing. Second, they are sized
for stiffness to limit lateral displace-
ments resulting in areas much in
excess of those required from strength
consideration alone. Because of this
imbalance in the gravity stress level,
these two groups of columns undergo
different axial shortenings; the interior
columns shorten much more than the
exterior columns.
The opposite happens in buildings
with interior-braced core columns and
widely spaced exterior columns; the
exterior columns experience more
axial shortening than the interior
columns. The behavior of columns in
buildings with other types of struc-
tural systems, such as interacting core
and exterior frames, tends to be some-
where in between these two limiting
cases.
Simplified method of calculating

z
, axial shortening of columns
In a steel building, typically the
cross-sectional area of a column
increases in two-story increments from
a minimum at top to a maximum at
the base as shown in Figure 1. The
incremental steps in column areas are
due to the finite choice of available
column shapes. Similarly, the axial load
on a column increases at each floor in
a stepwise manner. In tall buildings,
the significance of these incremental
steps diminishes rapidly, allowing us
to make the following assumptions
that can be used to derive a simpli-
fied formulation for axial shortening
of columns. The first
assumption relates to
the variation of grav-
ity loads, which may be
assumed to increase linearly from top
to the bottom. The second is similar to
the first but applies to the variation of
column areas. However, a linear varia-
tion using the actual column area at
the bottom appears to underestimate
the actual shortening of columns.
A slight modification in which the
column area at the bottom is taken
equal to 0.9 times the actual area (0.9
x A
B
) appears to work well in predict-
ing axial shortening.
Figure 1: Variation of cross-sectional area of a high-rise column.
4 PDH Professional Development Advertising Section Bentley Systems, Inc.
Differential shortening of tall steel building columns
Derivation of simplified
expression for
z
Integral calculus in conjunction
with the simplified assumptions stated
earlier is used to derive the following
equation for
z
:

z
= P
b
/E [(-1/) ln(1 - z/A
b
)]
/E [-1/
2
(az + A
b
ln(1 - z/A
b
))]
where
L = height of the building

z
= axial shortening at a height x
(also denoted as z), above the foun-
dation level
A
t
= column area at top
A
b
= modified column area at bottom
equal to 0.9 times actual area of
column at bottom = 0.9 x A
B
(where A
B

is actual column area at bottom.
A
x
= area of column at height x (also
denoted as z) above foundation
level
= rate of change of area of column
P
t
= axial load at top
P
b
= axial load at bottom
P
x
= axial load at height x above foun-
dation
= rate of change of axial load
E = modulus of elasticity of steel
In = natural logarithm
The derivation of the equation is
given in Wind and Earthquake Resistant
Buildings: Structural Analysis and Design
(Bungale S. Taranath, Ph.D., S.E., CRC
Press: Taylor & Francis Group, 2005)
and Structural Analysis and Design
of Tall Buildings: Steel and Composite
Construction (Bungale S. Taranath,
Ph.D., S.E., CRC Press: Taylor & Francis
Group, 2011). Definitions of the vari-
ables used in the equation are shown
schematically in Figure 2.
Example
Given: (See Figure 3)
Height of building: L = 682 feet =
8,184 inches (207.8 m)
Modulus of elasticity: E = 29,000 ksi
(200 x 103 MPa)
Axial of load at top: P
t
= 53 kips
(237.5 kN)
Area of column at top: A
t
= 12.48
Figure 2: Axial shortening of columns; closed-form solutions: (1) axial
shortening
z
; (2) variation of column area; (3) axial load variation; (4)
unit load at height z; (5) axial strain; (6) axial shortening.
Figure 3: For the example below, (1) axial load variations; (2) actual and assumed column
cross-sectional areas.
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square inches (8,052 square mm)
Axial load at base: P
b
= 2,770 kips (12.32 x 103 kN)
Actual column area at base: A
B
= 147 square inches
(94.84 x 103 square mm)
Reduced column area at base: A
b
= 0.9 x 147 = 133.3
square inches (86.0 x 103 square mm)
Required: Find the axial shortening of the top column
Solution: Since column shortening is calculated at top,
z = L, therefore
= (A
b
A
t
)/L = (133 12.48)/8,184 = 0.01476 sq. in./in.
= (P
b
P
t
)/L = (2,770 53)/8,184 = 0.332 kip/in.
ln (1 L/A
b
) = ln (1 (0.01476 x 8,184/133.3))
= ln (0.09362)
= -2.368
Therefore,
L at top = 2,770/29,000 [(-1/0.01476) x (-2.368)]
0.332/29,000[-4,590.15 (0.01476 x 8,184 +
133.3 x -2.36847)]
= 15.32 10.20
= 5.12 in.
Similarly, the axial shortening is calculated at various
heights by substituting appropriate values for z.
Column length corrections,
c

After determining axial shortening of building columns,
the next step is to assign a column length correction
c
for
each column. The objective is to attain as level a floor as
practical. The correction
c
is thus the difference between
the theoretical height of a given column and its actual
height after it has shortened. The magnitude of correction

c
in a tall building of 60 stories is rather small, perhaps 1/8
inch (3.17 mm) per floor, at the most. Therefore, instead of
specifying this small correction at each level, in practice it
is common to specify lumped corrections at a few selected
floors. For example, in lieu of 1/8 inch correction at each
level, the designer would lump the correction at every
eighth floor. Thus
c
would be equal to 1/8 x 8 = 1 inch
(25.4 mm). See the above referenced texts for further infor-
mation on this topic.
Column shortening verification during construction
Consider Figure 4, a hypothetical building that is 48
stories tall. Identified therein are two columns: C
1
, an inte-
rior column with a large tributary area; and C
2
, an exterior
column of framed tube with a relatively small tributary area.
Under gravity loads, C
1
would shorten more than C
2
for two
reasons: C
1
, designed only for gravity loads, has a P/A ratio
that is relatively high; and C
2
, designed as a frame column,
has its P/A ratio significantly less than that for C
1
because it
is lightly loaded under gravity loads.
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Differential shortening of tall steel building columns
Assume that you
as the engineer for
the project have speci-
fied column length corrections to C
1

at levels 8, 16, 24, 32, 40, and 48
with correction of 2 inches specified
at level 24. Let us say that when steel
erection is at the level 24, the steel
erector surveys the top elevations of
columns, reports the top of column
C
1
is 1 inch higher than the top of C
2
,
and requests that you confirm if this
is acceptable in view of the fact that
additional shortening of the column is
yet to occur.
Further calculations are needed to
verify that this 1-inch overlength of C
1

will indeed come down after the appli-
cation deadloads at levels 24 through
roof. This concept of verifying the over-
length of columns during construction
is shown in Figure 5. Note that
Rn
shown therein corresponds to the 1
inch discussed here for the hypotheti-
cal building.
Conclusion
Axial displacement in tall steel build-
ing columns is likely to be a problem if
not given proper consideration during
design. Fortunately, clear and concise
formulas are available for calculating
axial shortening, as are methodologies
for mitigating the adverse effects of
relative axial displacements.
Figure 5: Interpretation of column overstrength: (1)
n
= column shortening at nth level
due to loads on the entire height of column; (2)
B
= column shortening at nth level due
to loads imposed at and below nth level; (3)
Rn
= column shortening yet to occur due to
loads above nth level.
Figure 4: Hypothetical framing plan: column C
1
, designed for gravity loads only, shortens
more than C
2
, designed for both gravity and lateral loads. Compensating for relative eleva-
tion difference between columns is of importance in tall buildings.
Bungale S.
Taranath, Ph.D.,
S.E., is a corpo-
rate consultant to
DeSimone Consulting
Engineers, a consult-
ing firm with offices
in New York; Miami;
San Francisco; New
Haven, Conn.; Las
Vegas; Hong Kong; and Abu Dhabi, and
has served as a principal or senior engi-
neer for several firms. He is the author
of five books on tall building design, and
has conducted seminars on tall build-
ing design around the world. He can be
reached at staranath@hotmail.com.
Professional Development Advertising Section Bentley Systems, Inc. PDH 7
1. In a 60-story, steel-framed build-
ing, which of the following is likely
to be true?
a) Columns may not shorten at all.
b) Columns may shorten by 4 to 5
inches.
c) Columns may shorten by as much
as 1 foot.
d) Proper construction practice will
prevent significant axial shortening.
2. Which of the following statements
is most true?
a) Axial displacement is disastrous,
and should be avoided with bracing
systems and extremely rigid materi-
als.
b) Axial displacement is probably inevi-
table in large buildings, which is why
most large buildings have slightly
uneven floors.
c) Axial displacement is a minor prob-
lem for buildings that are less than
40 stories tall, and can usually be
ignored.
d) Large differential axial displace-
ment is inevitable in tall steel build-
ing columns, so building designers
should include mitigating meth-
ods, such as providing soft joints
between the building frame and
cladding components, based on
actual calculations and, preferably,
measurements during construction.
3. If nonstructural building elements
are not separated from verti-
cal loads, which of the following
might occur?
a) Piping and ducting may be forced to
act as structural columns, and suffer
distress.
b) Cladding system components may
bow or pop out.
c) Floors may be out of level.
d) All of the above.
4. The phrase differential shortening
refers to which of the following?
a) Building columns that shorten by
different amounts.
b) Column shortening that varies by
floor.
c) Column shortening that varies
according to temperature.
d) Building columns that shorten
during construction, as a result of
progressive loading.
5. Differential shortening may be
due to which of the following?
a) Building columns that have different
P/A ratios.
b) Building columns that support differ-
ent loads.
c) Building columns designed for grav-
ity only, and for gravity and lateral
load.
d) All of the above.
6. The P/A ratio is the ratio
between?
a) Column height and axial load.
b) Axial loads of perimeter and interior
columns.
c) Axial load and column area.
d) Axial compression measured at
the top and midpoint of building
columns.
7. In a building with closely spaced
exterior columns and widely
spaced interior columns, which of
the following is most likely to be
true?
a) Exterior columns are likely to experi-
ence greater axial compression than
interior columns.
b) Interior columns are likely to experi-
ence greater axial compression than
exterior columns.
c) Axial compression will be roughly
equal for all columns.
d) This is a tubular system, and axial
compression will be minimal.
8. Which of the following assump-
tions is made in order to simplify
the calculation of axial shortening of
columns in steel buildings?
a) The column area at the top is
assumed to be 0.9 times the actual
column area.
b) The column area at the top is
assumed to be 1.1 times the actual
column area floor.
c) The column area at the bottom is
assumed to be 0.9 times the actual
column area.
d) The column area at the bottom is
assumed to be 1.1 times the actual
column area.
9. When determining column length
corrections,
c
is which of the
following?
a) The difference in shortening between
exterior and interior columns.
b) The difference in shortening between
the top and midpoint of any particu-
lar column.
c) The difference in shortening due to
change in column area.
d) The difference between the theoreti-
cal height of a given column and its
actual height after it has shortened.
10. Which of the following statements
is most true?
a) Onsite verification of axial displace-
ment during construction is ineffec-
tive due to progressive loading.
b) Due to a variety of factors that cant
be determined in advance, onsite
verification is the only way to deter-
mine axial shortening.
c) Onsite verification during construc-
tion is an excellent way to check
axial displacement calculations.
d) Differential shortening cant be
predicted by calculation, and can
only be measured during construc-
tion.
Differential shortening of tall steel building columns
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