Experimental and static performance of a stiffened transfer system in a mountain-shaped frame

Abstract The steel-reinforced concrete stiffened transfer system in the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal Museum features a complex annular vierendeel truss and cantilever wall-columns supporting a 9–15 story mountain-shaped frame. To validate its structural performance, static monotonic loading tests were conducted on 1:8 and 1:7 scale models. Results demonstrate that the annular truss exhibits exceptional load redistribution capacity, with internal force ratios varying from 0.4 to 2.4 under uniform loading. The cantilever transfer wall-columns sustained vertical loads up to 2.0 times the design load (2F) without shear failure, displaying a ductile flexural failure mode. Crucially, the maximum mid-span deflection at the factored load (1.35F) was 8.55mm, accounting for only 71.25% of the 12mm serviceability limit. A high-fidelity finite element (FE) model was developed and validated against experimental data, with discrepancies predominantly below 10%. The findings confirm that the proposed system provides high static robustness, effective deformation control, and superior crack resistance, offering a reliable solution for complex high-rise transfers with stringent architectural and functional demands.