Construction Methodology of Tubed Mega Frame Structures in High­ Rise Buildings

Sammanfattning: As a response to the ever denser cities, skyscrapers have become yet more popular and are growing more and taller than ever. A new efficient structural system for skyscrapers has been proposed by Tyréns AB, called the Tubed Mega Frame. This structural system consists of hollow concrete tubes at the perimeter of the building. Since this structural system has not yet been used in any skyscraper several aspects have still not been studied or investigated. An important aspect having an impact on the system’s competitiveness compared to traditional structural systems is how a skyscraper using this new structural system could be built. This thesis treats the construction methodology of Tubed Mega Frame structures. The construction methodology of a prototype building is evaluated to connect the findings to a plausible real project. Building very tall concrete structures sets a lot of demands on the concrete used and having an effective construction is essential. The elastic modulus of the concrete has been identified as one of the most important concrete properties why this topic has been studied. Comparisons of the formulas of different codes for estimating the elastic modulus have been made to see what elasticity can be achieved. Concrete recipes that have been used in already built skyscrapers have been reviewed to see what elastic moduli are feasible to reach and expect. Pumping concrete to high levels sets demands on the concretes flowability and self-compacting concrete is necessary to use. Ways of improving the concrete properties are also studied. All studies show that the Tubed Mega Frame structural system would be possible to construct with today’s concrete and pumping technology even though improvements can be expected from future development in concrete technology. As most skyscrapers that are built today, a Tubed Mega Frame structure would preferably be built with a self-climbing formwork system rising one level at a time. From a review of available construction methodologies, the thesis shows that these systems would be applicable on a Tubed Mega Frame structure with minor adaptions of the systems. The floor cycle time, i.e. the time it takes to complete an entire floor before proceeding to the next level, has a significant importance in determining the construction time of a skyscraper. For this reason a floor cycle with all activities related to the structural system and their sequences have been developed for the prototype building. By determining all the relations that are between activities and using productivities for estimating their durations it has been possible to evaluate the time it would take to complete a standard floor. By the use of Microsoft Project the duration of a stated average floor cycle has been estimated to a little more than 4 days.