Abstract—During the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake, high-rise buildings in Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka swayed vigorously and caused damage to non-structural elements such as with the falling of ceiling panels. Those cities are located near deep layers of sediment and such conditions can create long period ground motions of low frequency even when far from the epicenter of an earthquake. These low frequency waves can travel backwards and forwards through the sediment upon meeting hard obstacles like rock, creating ground movement that resonates with tall structures causing them to sway and topple. In this report, the performance of high-rise buildings during the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake is presented first. Then, the safety of high-rise buildings with long period ground motions in a massive earthquake that may arise in the future is discussed.
 

Index Terms—high-rise building, long period earthquake ground motion, seismic safety, Great East Japan Earthquake

Cite: Taiki Saito, "Response of High-Rise Buildings under Long Period Earthquake Ground Motions," International Journal of Structural and Civil Engineering Research, Vol. 5, No. 4, pp. 308-314, November 2016. doi: 10.18178/ijscer.5.4.308-314