BeckerFraserPhotos February 2013 photograph 003

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Part of Maffeys Road around McCormacks Bay has collapsed.

BeckerFraserPhotos May 2013 photograph 141

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Damage to the north side of ChristChurch Cathedral. The damaged windows have been boarded up and weeds can be seen growing in the lawn. A walkway from Gloucester Street to the Square was opened up for a few days to allow the public a closer look at the cathedral.

BeckerFraserPhotos March 2012 photograph 246

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "The west wall of the Christ Church Cathedral where the rose window fell during the 23 December 2011 earthquake. Steel bracing has been used to hold up the front of the church".

BeckerFraserPhotos October 2011 photograph 009

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Photograph captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Menlo Terrace".

Photograph by Paul Corliss 0126

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph captioned by Paul Corliss, "Avonside and Retreat Roads post earthquake".

Photograph by Paul Corliss 0670

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a postal worker delivering mail on a street with damaged houses. The photograph is captioned by Paul Corliss, "Redcliffs and Sumner".

Seismic performance of concrete wall-steel beam connections

Research papers, The University of Auckland Library

The increasing prevalence of mixed-material buildings that combine concrete walls and steel frames in New Zealand, coupled with a lack of specific design and detailing guidelines for concrete wall-steel beam connections, underscores the need for comprehensive research to ensure that these structures behave as intended during earthquakes. Bolted web plate connections, commonly found in steel framing systems, are typically used to connect steel beams to concrete walls. These connections are idealised as pinned during design. However, research on steel framing systems has shown that these connections can develop significant stiffness and moment resistance when subjected to large rotations during seismic loading, potentially leading to brittle failure when used in concrete wall to steel beam applications. This thesis was written to understand the seismic performance of concrete wall-steel beam bolted web plate connections, providing experimental evidence, numerical modelling insights, and design recommendations to address critical gaps in current design practices. The study is divided into three phases. First, a review of 50 concrete wall-steel frame buildings in Auckland and Christchurch was conducted to understand current design practices and typical connection details. The findings revealed significant variation in design and detailing practices and a lack of specific guidelines for concrete wall-steel beam connections. Second, an experimental programme was conducted on four full-scale concrete wall-steel beam sub-assemblages, each incorporating variations in connection detailing. The tests were designed to quantify the rotation capacity of concrete wall-steel beam connections, identify failure modes and investigate the effectiveness of potential connection improvements. Results demonstrated that concrete wall-steel beam bolted web plate connections designed using current design standards and following existing practices are vulnerable to non-ductile failure characterised by concrete breakout. However, using slotted holes in the web plate and bent reinforcing bar anchors instead of headed stud anchors improved connection rotation capacity. Third, a numerical model of a case study building was developed on OpenSeesPy, with different connection conditions assumed based on the experimental results. Pushover and time history analyses were conducted to evaluate the implications of different connection conditions (pinned vs non-pinned) on global building response and local member demands. The findings revealed that using non-pinned connection conditions does not significantly affect the global building response and shear and bending moment demands on lateral load-resisting elements. However, doing so generates overstrength moments on the connections that induce different actions on out-of-plane concrete walls connected to steel beams. Synthesising findings from all three phases, this thesis concludes with a proposed design procedure for concrete wall-steel beam connections based on a capacity design approach to ensure ductile failure modes and suppress brittle ones. Key recommendations include selecting appropriate bolt hole geometry and anchorage, providing sufficient rotation capacity, and accounting for connection overstrength in global analyses.

You Do Not Have to Drop, Cover and Hold During a Quake

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Graffiti on a brick wall reads "Pray hope and don't worry". The photographer comments, "Seen on a wall on Moorhouse Avenue, Christchurch".

Koen Broekema's Photograph 087

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A close up of the damaged stonework of Christ Church Cathedral. The upper part of the front wall has crumbled leaving the inside space exposed. Steel bracing has been placed against the wall to limit further damage.

Koen Broekema's Photograph 036

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A close up of the front of Christ Church Cathedral. The upper part of the front wall has crumbled leaving the inside space exposed. Steel bracing has been placed against the front wall to limit further damage.

Koen Broekema's Photograph 027

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A close up of the damaged stonework of Christ Church Cathedral. The upper part of the front wall has crumbled leaving the inside space exposed. Steel bracing has been placed against the wall to limit further damage.

Man was killed by a falling concrete wall

Audio, Radio New Zealand

The Royal Commission investigating the Canterbury earthquakes has heard that the premises where a man was killed by a falling concrete wall was not inspected by structural engineers between the September and February quakes.

Photograph by Jocelyn Kinghorn 416

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A red-stickered house with cracks running down the brick wall. The house has also separated slightly from the foundations and is now on a lean. The brick wall on the house next door has partially crumbled.

BeckerFraserPhotos April 2011 photograph 098

Images, UC QuakeStudies

The Coffee House on Montreal Street with a damaged side wall. Plywood and weather proof paper has been placed over the wall to keep wind and rain out of the building.

BeckerFraserPhotos October 2010 photograph 023

Images, UC QuakeStudies

The east wall of St Luke's Church on Manchester Street. The top of the wall has broken away and is now covered with plastic to prevent weather damage inside the building.

BeckerFraserPhotos February 2012 photograph 0175

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a flying pig painted on a concrete block in a retaining wall. The photograph is captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Decorated retaining wall in Cunningham Terrace, Lyttelton".

BeckerFraserPhotos February 2012 photograph 0179

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of flying pigs painted on concrete blocks in a retaining wall. The photograph is captioned by BeckerFraserPhotos, "Decorated retaining wall in Cunningham Terrace, Lyttelton".

Poetica Urban Poetry Project Photograph 4

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a woman applying filler to a concrete-block wall, in preparation for painting it to become the Poetica Urban Poetry wall.

Paul and Sam Corliss's Street Art Photograph (2015:03:29 13:22:40)

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of street art. The artwork is on the wall surrounding Waltham Pool and faces towards Waltham Park.

Diabetes Centre Photograph 053

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the wooden frame of a wall in the Diabetes Centre. The panelling has been removed from the wall, exposing the frame and several pipes and wires underneath.

Diabetes Centre Photograph 049

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of several panels hanging from the ceiling of the Diabetes Centre. The panelling has been taken off the wall to the right, exposing the wooden structure beneath.

WEMO ERT Set 1 - March 2011 - Photograph 07

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of the earthquake damage to a room inside a house in Christchurch. Large sections of the plaster have crumbled from the walls, revealing the brick wall underneath.

Photograph of Gap Filler project 20 (45)

Images, UC QuakeStudies

The half-completed "Knit Happens" mural on the exposed brick wall of a building. The mural has been designed to look like a knitted pattern.

Koen Broekema's Photograph 072

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A close up of the front of Christ Church Cathedral. The upper part of the front wall has crumbled leaving the inside space exposed. Bracing has been placed against the front wall to limit further damage.

Koen Broekema's Photograph 084

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A close up of the front of Christ Church Cathedral. The upper part of the front wall has crumbled leaving the inside space exposed. Steel bracing has been placed against the wall to limit further damage.

BeckerFraserPhotos May 2011 photograph 0484

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Damage to a car parking building on Lichfield Street. Part of the concrete wall has crumbled, exposing steel reinforcing rods within, and damaging an artwork painted on the wall.

Umut Akguzel Photograph 163

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A photograph of a broken brick wall beside the Amuri Courts car park building on Armagh Street. USAR codes have been spray painted in yellow on the wall.

BeckerFraserPhotos March 2011 photograph 122

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Scaffolding on the side of the Windsor Hotel which has been bent by the collapse of the building's brick wall. The hotel's fire escape has buckled and become detached from the wall.

BeckerFraserPhotos February 2011 photograph 429

Images, UC QuakeStudies

A detail of damage to the interior wall of the Durham Street Methodist Church. Plaster and concrete have fallen away from the wall, baring the stone work.

Canterbury Earthquake September 2010 - Photograph 32

Images, UC QuakeStudies

Damage to a house in Richmond. Part of the brick wall is visibly out of alignment, leaving large gaps at the corner of the house. The photographer comments, "Dining room exterior wall".