Performance Based Seismic Design of the Gigafactory in Tesla Time

摘要

When completed, the Tesla Gigafactory currently under construction outside Reno. Nevada, will be the world's largest building. Each structural module is 70 feet tall on a brace-free footprint of a third of a million square feet with multiple stories and design floor loadings of 350 pounds per square foot. The extremely aggressive design and construction schedule required completion of the design of the lateral system (confined to the building perimeter) before overall interior floor configuration, manufacturing equipment layout, and mass were determined. Thus, it was necessary to design a lateral system capable of accommodating dramatic vertical and horizontal mass irregularities. Rocking strongbacks were employed to enforce first mode response regardless of vertical mass distribution. Lateral forces are resisted by a combination of Buckling Restrained Braced Frames (BRBFs) and sacrificial slotted plates (Krawinkler Fuses or KFs) which are all designed to yield simultaneously at the elastic design limit, providing robust damping. All other structural members are designed to develop the full capacity of the BRBs and KFs while remaining elastic.