A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology

Thesis (M.Eng.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2003

Analytical method used to predict the dynamic properties of two medium-rise reinforced concrete slab-column frame buildings is developed in this study. In analytical method, three-dimensional finite element models of these buildings are built to assess their dynamic properties such as natural frequencies and mode shapes. The dynamic properties obtained from finite element models have been analyzed and compared with those obtained from ambient vibration measurements. Several important factors the significantly affect the dynamic properties of building are considered in finite element modeling such as the stiffuess of pile foundations in Bangkok's soil, and the mechanical properties of masonry infill walls. These models can be categorized into two cases: (1) the fixed base model, and (2) the flexible base mode. For first building without basement, the analytical results indicate that the flexible base model, taking into account the flexible foundation, gives excellent agreement with the measured results in translational mode, but the fixed base model gives the better prediction of torsional mode. For second building with basement, the effects of embedment and soil-structure interaction need to be considered in modeling to obtain a good correlation between measured results and analytical results. In summary, soil-structure interaction effects and the contributions of masonry walls should be considered in modeling to predict dynamic properties of medium-rise reinforced concrete slab-column frame buildings in Bangkok.