MODULAR CONSTRUCTION IN STEEL

Abstract

Modular construction is a construction technique that utilizes prefabrication that is offsite construction and onsite assembly. It basically aims at fast and rapid construction thereby saving a huge time as compared to normal construction practices. Since time is money indirectly it is cost effective as well. The basic idea is to sub divide the entire structure into a number of small units called modules which are manufactured in a factory. Earlier this system has been in practice for low rise buildings only with a very few exceptional cases of above 10 storey buildings. But now with some recent developments and ideas like instead of completely modularizing a whole room 4 or two three rooms together, individual elements and small floor units are modularized and assembled at site which facilitate modular construction to be implemented in high rise buildings as well. The behavior of such buildings is not studied properly. The immense potentiality of this system to change even the basic view point towards construction, urge a proper study and investigation of such buildings behavior in comparison to an ordinary building. The scope of this study moves around the behavior of such system towards lateral forces in linear and non-linear range and a comparison with an ordinary building suitable to same site conditions. The whole work is divided into two sections. The first one is a sensitivity analysis of the system keeping rotational spring constant, used to give partial fixity at column ends, as a parameter and the - second one is a non-linear static push over analysis of the structure to understand its ductility and compare the safety with an ordinary steel moment resisting frame building.