Abstract
Responses to lateral loads induced by wind and earthquakes are among the governing factors in the structural design of these structures. In the current trend, adjacent tall buildings are being horizontally connected for different purposes. However, such horizontal linkages potentially change the behavior of the structure, which limits the applicability of design codes. This research comprehensively assesses the response of linked high-rise buildings under earthquake loads, following design-code requirements. The effect of sky-bridge location on the induced responses is examined as well. The building configurations were excited by a set of ground-motion records with different peak ground accelerations. The lateral dynamic earthquake loads were separately applied in two orthogonal directions (the sky-bridge and perpendicular directions) and the responses to each load were investigated. The connecting bridge location affected the predicted dynamic load-induced responses of the building structures slightly in some scenarios, but dramatically in one scenario. (C) 2019 The Author. Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Faculty of Engineering, Ain Shams University.