Preliminary study of correlation of natural periods and damping percentages of tall buildings in several countries

Fundamental periods (T) and critical damping percentages (ζ) of 41 tall buildings in several countries form the basis of this preliminary study. Correlation between building height and fundamental period for steel and reinforced concrete buildings clearly shows a linear variation but with a large standard deviation, most likely due to considerable variation in the designs of structural systems. No credible correlation was attainable for critical damping percentages against the heights of the buildings. However, the main and important trend is that the critical damping percentages are clearly lower than <3%, consistent with recent tall building studies.