1.

Introduction

The precast constructing system is used worldwide. The experience has shown that during the
construction of Substations the civil engineering works are always on critical path delaying the
finishing and electro-mechanical works.

The use and development of precast concrete structures in seismic areas has been worldwide limited,
after the disastrous earthquaqes in Italy, Turkey, Japan and USA in last two decads. There is a lack
of confidence in their performance in seismic region as a conseguence of different failures that have
happened. However, it is important to underline that the failure of precast structures, were in general
due to some errors during either the design or the construction, as incorrect design details,
inadequate structural schemes, or absence of a correct seismic design philosophy, rather than to
intrinsic limits of “precast”.

1.a Our needs

We schould remember that Abu Dhabi is in 2a seismic zone, hence not exposed to big seismic risks,
but only to the limited one. This aspect is important when deciding about the long term construction
strategies. The same argument is important when deciding which precast constructing system to use.

1.b Our proposal

My office coleageus prefered the system with built in site foundations and columns and the
precasted prestressed beams and precasted hollow slabs. This is surely very good structural
system which gives waranties that the structure will be compacted and ductile, when designed
well.

Mall of the Emirates Project, Dubai, Precast Subcontractor: Al Meraikhi Precast

Hypermarket structural scheme is precasted frame made of 8.5mx16.8m bays without intermediate columns,
and spetial beam with depth not larger than 800mm except along two strips of double-width bays at
approximately third of the hypermarket width where 1100mm deep beams were used.

The special beams are used with the ties. Since the tie’s role is solely to ‘keep the beam together’ until imposed
load is applied, from an economy point of view tie should be designed for maximum stresses at all times.
Negative side effect of this approach could be relatively large beam camber that requires particular attention
during construction in order to achieve correct final structural slab levels. The tests performed to date indicate
that tie activation comes within the range of 55% to 90% of the ‘full’ force. Further research should be directed
towards the area of tie activation
estimate due to its importance on overall behavior of RWPB.

By comparison with traditional Inverted Tee beams, length for length, the new RWPB beams can achieve the
same load bearing capacity of the former with only 50% of their weight. Thus their prime cost/time saving
advantage lies in lower crane capacity requirements for unloading and erection of the beams, particularly where
large spans are involved.

My opinion is that if we want to have maximum benefit from precasted system of building then
the columns must be precasted too. Only in that way the optimum building velocity can be
reached. I am confident that today it is possible to construct the complete precasted construction
obtaining adequate safety factors for all fases of building and for whole life of structure.

2. Standards regarding seismic and precast construction

systems

2.a International Standards overview

Euro code 8,
UBC-97, Uniform Building Code
NEHRP, Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program
IBC – International Building Code 2007
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ACI 318 Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete, American Concrete Institute,
1999, excluding Appendix A.
AISC ASD Allowable Stress Design and Plastic Design Specification for Structural Steel
Buildings, American Institute of Steel Construction, 1989.
AISC LRFD Load and Resistance Factor Design Specification for Structural Steel Buildings ,
American Institute of Steel Construction, 1993.
AISC Seismic Seismic Provisions for Structural Steel Buildings, Part I, American Institute of Steel
Construction, 1997, including Supplement No. 2 (2000).
AISI Specification for the Design of Cold-formed Steel Structural Members , American Iron
and Steel Institute, 1996, including Supplement No. 1 (2000).
ASCE 7 Minimum Design Loads for Buildings and Other Structures, American Society of Civil
Engineers, 1998.
FEMA 450—2003 NEHRP Recommended Provisions for Seismic Regulations for New Buildings and
Other Structures.
FEMA 461 describes in detail laboratory testing protocols that can be used to determine fragility
functions for various building systems and components. Fragility functions express in mathematical
terms the likelihood that a component will sustain a specified level of damage when exposed to a
specified level of demand (e.g., force, acceleration, displacement).

2.b Comparision between some standards

NEHRP versus UBC,

1. NEHRP encourages steel failure rather than concrete failure to govern the strength of anchors;
this requirement is not in the UBC, making it less stringent.

2. The classification of moment frames and shear walls is not the same. The NEHRP classify
structural systems based on the level of detailing. The UBC simply indicates which provisions of
ACI 318 Chapter 21 are applicable to various structural systems in various seismic zones.

3. NEHRP indicates which structural systems are permitted in the various Seismic Design
Categories; Structural systems of lower inelastic deformability are excluded in the higher Seismic
Design Categories. The UBC simply indicates which provisions of ACI 318 Chapter 21 are
applicable to various structural systems in various seismic zones.
4. For columns supporting reactions from discontinuous stiff members such as walls, the UBC is
less stringent with respect to detailing requirements as well as the consideration of vertical
earthquake ground motion in special seismic load combinations.

UBC carachteristics
In the United States the UBC 97 (Uniform Building Code) prescribes that the required analogy with a
monolithic solution can be reached using one of the following typologies:
a) wet connection: precast concrete elements are connected with partial or total casting-
inplace of the connection;
b) strong connection: the connection is required to remain elastic, while the inelastic response
is assigned to regions localized outside the joint.

The Eurocode 8
Provides an informative annex on seismic design of precast concrete structures, accepting the
feasibility of a connection with dissipation capability in the critical region. In order to take into
account the presumed reduced redundancy, ductility and energy dissipation capability of the precast
concrete structure, when compared to an equivalent cast-in-place solution, extremely conservative
behavior (force-reduction) factors q and ductility classes are suggested.

U.S.- PRESSS (Precast Seismic Structural System) research

program
As opposite to the “emulative” approach, different solutions for precast concrete systems in seismic
areas have been developed, relying on the peculiar characteristics of precast.

Precast concrete elements are connected in a “dry” way without necessity of cast-in-place techniques,
by using and adequately combining prestressed or unbonded post-tensioned tendons/bars with
traditional mild steel reinforcement. At the culmination of the research project, after preliminary
phases of analytical-experimental investigations at a subassembly level, a large scale five-story
precast concrete building was tested under simulated seismic load. This test has provided important
confirmations on the excellent seismic performance of the adopted alternative solutions, at both local
and global level. (a 39-story residential building in San Francisco is under completion, which will
represent the highest concrete construction in a zone of high seismicity).

2.b Our choice of Standards

My opinion is that the Euro code should be chosen for the principal standard, with reference to all
other last achievements in the field of precast seismic designing. The Euro code from this point of
view is flexible but also , as said above, conservative. This means that the elements could be over
dimensioned (respect to other standards) so that the construction (maybe) shall be in elastic area
also during the seismic event (max 2a zone in Abu Dhabi).

In mu opinion for our project it can be acceptable because the scope of precast design is to build civil
engineering elements in anticipation allowing good timetable of assembling all main structural
elements and in that way saving time (and money). So the philosophy is not to use precast system to
save the quantity of materials , obtaining in any way better quality of used structural precast
elements, but to build faster coordinating with assembling and fixing other electro-mechanical
components.

3. Main precast structural system

Before deciding which precast system could be best in our case it is wise to see the characteristics of
some most important international projects that have been realized recently or that are still in
construction.
3.a International projects
The following 3 projects of very big economic value realized on 3 different continents have used
the complete precasted system

1. North of Rome 430.000,0 cum: All structural elements, including foundations, are precasted -
Seismic zone 1 (similar like Abu Dhabi). Probably the Euro code 8 has been applied. The producer
gives in catalogue all technical solutions for fixing columns to foundations, beams to columns and
slabs to beams. The producer in Abu dhabi should be able to give similar solutions based on his
working experience.

2. The precast hybrid frame uses traditional materials in a unique way that improves both the
reliability and performance of a building constructed with this system. The beam has a solid,
rectangular cross-section at its ends and a trough at the top and bottom in its central region. The
beam-to-column connection is made with grouted reinforcing bars and post-tensioning that is either
partially or totally unbonded. The bar steel is placed in ducts at the top and bottom of the beam,
while the straight post-tensioning tendon is located at the beam’s mid height. In the construction
sequence, the columns are erected first and are equipped with temporary steel corbels on which the
beams will be set. The beams then are erected, and the reinforcing bars are placed in the trough.
The bars then are passed through the ducts in the solid ends of the beam, which line up with
matching ducts in the column. The gap between the beam and column then is grouted with a fiber-
reinforced grout. The ducts containing the reinforcing bars may be grouted at the same time. When a
line of beams is in place and the grout at the beam-to-column interface has gained strength, the
post-tensioning steel is installed and stressed. The temporary corbels are removed and the floor
system is then installed. The intent of the system is to have the beams and columns act as rigid
bodies, with the deformation of the system concentrating at the beam-tocolumn joints. The end of
the beam rocks against the column face and a single crack opens there. The post-tensioning remains
elastic through story drifts of 3.5 percent due to debonding and to the location of the post-tensioning
steel.

Following earthquakes, a structure using a

precast frame constructed with this process
will require only normal inspection and
minimal, if any, repair of structural members,
he says. That’s a dramatic change from what
typically is experienced following a seismic
disaster.
For instance, after the Northridge, Calif.,
earthquake, a relatively minor seismic event,
it was revealed that conventional steel
moment-resisting frames experienced
widespread brittle failure, encompassing more than 100 buildings. Repair costs averaged more than
$10,000 per joint.

In addition, some severely damaged concrete-frame buildings were demolished due to prohibitive
repair costs. “The precast moment-resistant frame results in a building whose value and usefulness is
not diminished or decimated by a seismic event.

3. In Abu Dhabi - “Yas Retail Experience” Project that covers approximately 75000 m 2 in three levels
on South East and South West Car Park. Grid 9.3m x 18.6m bays without intermediate columns
provide large space for parking and easy vehicle maneuver. Overall floor height is not higher than
1m. Slab deck was constructed using slip formed hollow core slabs 0.2 m height only.
New connection joint (fig 13) was proposed in order to provide continuous beams in direction of
RWPB placement. Next “in situ” operation is top reinforcement placement in RWPB and concrete
casting in trough. After concrete hardening, usually after 3 days, new structural system is continuous
beam ready for hollow core slab erection. After hollow core slabs erection and concrete topping,
system is ready for use.

RWPB beams 17.7 m length manufactured for this project were the largest RWPB produced to date.

3.c Our approach and proposal

The above list of projects shows clearly that complete precast system , even in higher seismic zone,
can be applied. I think that the system of RWPB beams could be combined with the latest research
regarding hybrid system which uses the post tensioning to create dry ductile connection between
column and beam.

We should present both approaches, the complete precast system with precasted columns, beams
and slabs showing the three projects above mentioned like three possible variants and then also the
partial precast system where only beams and slabs are precasted.

It is important to understand that even with complete precast system there is time loosing for making
optimal ductile connection between the single structural precast elements. This fact slows down the
assembling and increases the costs, but gives us best quality-performance/velocity/cost ratio.

4. Non structural elements

Although nonstructural damage may be less dramatic or threatening than structural
failures, it nevertheless can be dangerous or even lethal to building occupants, and in
terms of property damage and loss of use, can be even more costly than structural
damage.
Nonstructural Component Simulator (NCS) is used, to make available state-of-the-art
testing capabilities for nonstructural components and equipment like:

(1) utility systems, such as heating, ventilating, and air condi tioning systems, fire
detection and suppression systems, plumbing, and other built-in mechanicaland
electrical components;

(2) architectural elements, such as non-load-bearing walls, ceilings, windows, doors,

and lightfixtures;

(3) building contents brought in by or for

occupants, such as furniture, cubicles,
office equipment, storage cabinets,
medical support systems, and other
specialized equipment.