Reliability-based assessment of deteriorating steel moment resisting frames

One of the objectives in performance-based earthquake engineering is to quantify the seismic reliability of a structure due to future random earthquakes at a designated site. For that purpose, two performance evaluation processes that do incorporate the effect of aleatory and epistemic uncertainties are illustrated and used in order to calculate the reliability of different height Special Moment Resisting frames through two probabilistic-based measures. These two measures are the confidence levels for satisfying the desired performance levels at given hazard levels and mean annual frequency of exceeding a specified structural capacity.Analytical models are employed including panel zone and a comprehensive model for structural components that not only include strength and stiffness degradation in back bone curve, but also incorporate gradual deterioration of strength and stiffness under cyclic loading. Incremental dynamic analysis is then utilized to assess the structural dynamic behavior of the frames and to generate required data for performance based evaluations. This research is intended to contribute to the progress in improvement of the performance knowledge on seismic design and evaluation of special steel moment resisting frame structures.     

Performance evaluation of special and intermediate moment‐resisting reinforced concrete frames using pushover and incremental dynamic analysis

In this study, the seismic performance of special and intermediate moment‐resisting reinforced concrete frames are evaluated through nonlinear static and dynamic analysis. According to experimental studies, one of the most important parameters affecting the behavior of special and intermediate ductile reinforced concrete frames is the transverse reinforcement ratio. In this paper, constitutive law of material for concrete under the influence of various transverse reinforcement ratios have been derived using Mander et al. model, and 20 ground‐motion accelerograms have been utilized for dynamic analysis. Additionally, the results of pushover and incremental dynamic analysis were compared in order to evaluate seismic performance of the selected high‐rise structures. Results reveal that both types of reinforced concrete frames with beam‐hinge type failure mechanisms have ductile behavior. Special moment frames have higher ductility because of early entry into nonlinear range resulting in higher plastic rotations, which result in greater lateral displacements. Due to the differences in behavior of intermediate and special ductility frames, confinement has an important role in the ductile behavior of structures. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The establishing of performance level thresholds for steel moment‐resisting frame using an energy approach

In this study, an energy design approach is proposed within the framework of the performance‐based seismic design of steel frames. Accumulated plastic rotation is selected as a parameter to establish the performance level thresholds. The test results of steel connections are investigated to quantify the performance level thresholds. The hysteretic energy input is acquired from a previous statistical study of twelve six‐storey steel moment‐resisting frames. The seismic performance of three‐storey steel moment resisting frames using the energy approach is examined. The research concluded that the structure designed by the energy method performed better than the steel frame designed by the equivalent lateral force (ELF) of UBC‐97 in view of accumulated plastic rotation. Performance levels such as functional, life safety and collapse are discussed based on the ductility level and the performance characteristics. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of nonlinear behavior of steel moment frames accompanied with RC shear walls or steel bracings

In this paper, the seismic behavior of dual structural systems in forms of steel moment‐resisting frames accompanied with reinforced concrete shear walls and steel moment‐resisting frames accompanied with concentrically braced frames, have been studied. The nonlinear behavior of the mentioned structural systems has been evaluated as, in earthquakes, structures usually enter into an inelastic behavior stage and, hence, the applied energy to the structures will be dissipated. As a result, some parameters such as ductility factor of structure (μ), over‐strength factor (R_s) and response modification factor (R) for the mentioned structures have been under assessment. To achieve these objectives, 30‐story buildings containing such structural systems were used to perform the pushover analyses having different load patterns. Analytical results show that the steel moment‐resisting frames accompanied with reinforced concrete shear walls system has higher ductility and response modification factor than the other one, and so, it is observed to achieve suitable seismic performance; using the first system can have more advantages than the second one. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lateral cyclic behavior of zipper braced frames-considering connection details

During Northridge earthquake in USA in 1994, a variety of failures occurred in welded steel connections. Studying these structural failures has led to development of more reliable moment resisting connections and new ways of using braced frames as seismic load resisting systems. This article investigates through numerical simulations, the lateral capacity and seismic behavior of two of these newly-thought braced frames, zipper braced frames and suspended zipper braced frames. The overall seismic behavior of these frames is investigated through displacement-based pushover analyses considering the effect of connection elements such as gusset plate and shear tab. To study the efficiency of these two types of concentrically braced frames, a numerical investigation on their behaviors for low-, mid- and high-rise buildings was conducted. Three zipper braced frames and three suspended zipper braced frames with different number of stories have been modeled using OpenSEES software. For each simulation, frame maximum strength, maximum drift capacity, and weight are determined and compared with each other. It is concluded that connection modeling has significant effects on the lateral behavior of these frames. Furthermore, the suspended zipper braced frames show higher ductility when compared with the ductility of zipper braced frames. Finally, the suspended zipper braced frames are recommended to be used in high-rise buildings, however, for the lowand mid-rise buildings it is recommended to use zipper frames due to economic efficacy.     

Equivalent viscous damping in direct displacement‐based design of steel braced reinforced concrete frames

Performance‐based design method, particularly direct displacement‐based design (DDBD) method, has been widely used for seismic design of structures. Estimation of equivalent viscous damping factor used to characterize the substitute structure for different structural systems is a dominant parameter in this design methodology. In this paper, results of experimental and numerical investigations performed for estimating the equivalent viscous damping in DDBD procedure of two lateral resistance systems, moment frames and braced moment frames, are presented. For these investigations, cyclic loading tests are conducted on scaled moment resisting frames with and without bracing. The experimental results are also used to calibrate full‐scale numerical models. A numerical investigation is then conducted on a set of analytical moment resisting frames with and without bracing. The equivalent viscous damping and ductility of each analytical model are calculated from hysteretic responses. On the basis of analytical results, new equations are proposed for equivalent viscous damping as a function of ductility for reinforced concrete and steel braced reinforced concrete frames. As a result, the new equation is used in direct displacement‐based design of a steel braced reinforced concrete frame. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of seismic behavior improvement in RC MRFs retrofitted by controlled rocking wall systems

Using rocking wall systems is a recent technique to improve seismic behavior in reinforced concrete structures. This paper compares three 10‐story and three 20‐story reinforced concrete frames (moment‐resisting frames) with intermediate ductility, reinforced concrete frames with shear wall, and reinforced concrete frames with controlled rocking wall (RCRW) by the use of pushover analysis. At the end of the research, the wall in a 20‐story RCRW system is post‐tensioned then analyzed, and its results were compared with RCRW results. Simulation and numerical analysis were performed with OpenSees software. The results show that plastic hinge formation and inter‐story drifts are well distributed in the structure with rocking wall system in comparison with the other systems. Meanwhile, energy dissipation and displacement ductility are increased in RCRW frames. With post‐tensioning wall in RCRW, the drift ratios are more uniformed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

带耗能器-限位斜撑RC框架震损修复后抗震性能研究

对两榀带钢筋混凝土耗能器-限位斜撑框架的低周反复加载试验,及其复位加固后再进行的二次加载试验,以考察其残余抗震能力,得到了各种情况下构件的破坏过程、破坏特征及框架的滞回特性等。结果表明,加固后框架的水平承载能力较原型试件有所降低,但很大程度提高了框架整体的延性;复位后框架结构的残余承载力降低,但仍具有一定的抗震能力。     

Behaviour Factor of code-designed steel moment-resisting frames

Current seismic codes are based on force-controlled design or capacity design, using the base shear concept. The most important parameter in this approach is the response modification factor, also called behaviour factor, which is used to design the structure at the ultimate limit state by taking into account its capacity to dissipate energy by means of plastic deformations. In this paper overstrength, redundancy and ductility response modification factors of steel moment resisting frames are evaluated. In order to cover a wide range of structural characteristics, 12 steel moment-resisting frames (6 regular and 6 irregular in elevation) have been designed and analysed. Both static pushover analyses and nonlinear incremental dynamic analyses have been performed. The investigation focuses on the effects of some parameters influencing the responsemodification factor, including the regularity, the number of spans and the number of storeys. As a conclusion, a local ductility criterion has been proposed to improve the provisions given in the Italian seismic code.     

X形弱腹杆式延性桁框结构探讨

X形弱腹杆式延性桁框结构是一种新型抗震结构体系，针对该结构体系，推导消能段的受剪承载力，提出结构简化计算模型，并根据我国抗震设计准则给出确定X形弱腹杆截面和消能段长度的计算方法及构造要求。采用上述方法确定的消能段可以精确控制延性桁框结构的屈服时刻和破坏模式，并实现水平地震作用下各楼层同步屈服，充分耗能。最后采用有限元分析方法进行单向和循环加载分析与验证，结果表明：合理的消能段长度可以显著提高桁框结构的延性、耗能能力、承载能力和安全储备，抗震性能明显优于普通桁框结构；弱腹杆截面和消能段长度的计算方法具有较高的精度，可以在确保消能段耗能的前提下实现结构的优化设计。     

Seismic performance of steel braced frames with self‐centering buckling‐restrained brace utilizing superelastic shape memory alloys

Buckling‐restrained braced frame (BRB) is one of the newest seismic force‐resisting systems used in buildings. However, one of the requirements for designing a structure is to provide a ductility behavior of structures to dissipate earthquake energy and to avoid residual drifts. These days, self‐centering seismic lateral force‐resisting systems have drawn attention due to their potentials to solve the above mentioned issues. On the other hand, shape memory alloys (SMAs) are characterized by unique superelastic behavior, which enables the material to recover its original shape after experiencing large deformations. The goal of this study is to assess BRBs whose ductility are improved by utilizing SMA. Nonlinear time history and incremental dynamic analysis techniques are applied to investigate the behavior of the two frames with different stories (four and eight stories) under different ground motion records. The results showed that utilizing BRB made of hybrid steel and SMA resulted in increasing ductility of the structure and decreasing residual displacements of the structures.     

Effect of retrofit strategies on mitigating progressive collapse of steel frame structures

In this study, the effect of three retrofit strategies on enhancing the response of existing steel moment resisting frames designed for gravity loads is investigated using Alternate Path Methods (APM) recommended in the General Services Administration (GSA) and the Department of Defense (DoD) guidelines for resisting progressive collapse. The response is evaluated using 3-D nonlinear dynamic analysis. The studied models represent 6-bay by 3-bay 18-storey steel frames that are damaged by being subjected to six scenarios of sudden removal of one column in the ground floor. Four buildings with bay spans of 5.0 m, 6.0 m, 7.5 m, and 9.0 m were studied. The response of the damaged frames is evaluated when retrofitted using three approaches, namely, increasing the strength of the beams, increasing the stiffness of the beams, and increasing both strength and stiffness of the beams.The objective of this paper is to assess effectiveness of the studied retrofit strategies by evaluating the enhancement in three performance indicators which are chord rotation, tie forces, and displacement ductility demand for the beams of the studied building after being retrofitted.     

Seismic demand of an RC special moment frame building

Seismic design of a building is usually performed by using a linear static procedure. However, the actual behavior of a building subjected to earthquake is inelastic and dynamic in nature, and inelastic dynamic analysis is required to evaluate the safety of the structure designed by the current design codes. In this study, an RC special moment‐resisting frame building was designed by IBC 2003. Maximum plastic rotation, dissipated energy of some selected members, and the drift demand were calculated to examine whether the inelastic behavior of the building followed the intention of the design code. In addition, the effect of internal moment‐resisting frames (gravity load resisting system) on resisting lateral load was investigated. According to the analysis result, the building designed by IBC 2003 showed the inelastic behavior intended in the code and satisfied the design drift limit. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Predicting ductility demands on reinforced concrete moment‐resisting frames for moderate seismicity

The seismic responses of existing reinforced concrete‐framed buildings that are primarily designed and detailed to resist onerous combinations of gravity and wind loads are simulated for the conditions of moderate seis micity. A procedure is established for relating the non‐seismic and seismic behaviours of structures. By using the proposed procedure, the theoretical curvature ductility demands of ordinary reinforced concrete moment‐resisting frames can be evaluated. It has been shown that shear response of the frames due to earthquakes is dominant and adopted as a basis for estimating ductility demands. It is concluded that for low‐rise ordinary moment‐resisting framed buildings in regions liable to low or moderate sesimicity, the reduction factor suggested in the 1997 UBC might not be appropriate for use in the seismic analysis of these structures. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An empirical relationship to determine lateral seismic response of mid‐rise building frames under influence of soil–structure interaction

In this study, to determine the elastic and inelastic structural responses of mid‐rise building frames under the influence of soil–structure interaction, three types of mid‐rise moment‐resisting building frames, including 5‐storey, 10‐storey and 15‐storey buildings are selected. In addition, three soil types with the shear wave velocities less than 600 m/s, representing soil classes C_e, D_e and E_e according to AS 1170.4–2007 (Earthquake action in Australia, Australian Standards), having three bedrock depths of 10 m, 20 m and 30 m are adopted. The structural sections are designed after conducting nonlinear time history analysis, on the basis of both elastic method and inelastic procedure considering elastic‐perfectly plastic behaviour of structural elements. The frame sections are modelled and analysed, employing finite difference method adopting FLAC2D software under two different boundary conditions: (a) fixed base (no soil–structure interaction) and (b) considering soil–structure interaction. Fully nonlinear dynamic analyses under the influence of different earthquake records are conducted, and the results in terms of the maximum lateral displacements and base shears for the above mentioned boundary conditions for both elastic and inelastic behaviours of the structural models are obtained, compared and discussed. With the results, a comprehensive empirical relationship is proposed to determine the lateral displacements of the mid‐rise moment‐resisting building frames under earthquake and the influence of soil–structure interaction. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Vulnerability of steel moment‐resisting frames under effects of forward directivity

In near‐fault regions, forward directivity causes long‐period pulse‐like motions with high amplitude and short duration perpendicular to the fault surface. Pulse‐like motions have important roles in forming the distribution of damages over the structure height. Recent studies indicate that the number of spans influences the demand distribution over the moment frame's height. Considering the destruction of the buildings near causative fault in Bam earthquake, Iran (2003) demonstrates that most damages are concentrated in the ground floor of moment frames. Hence, in this study, forward directivity effect on vulnerability distribution of steel moment‐resisting frames with a few number of spans has been studied by nonlinear dynamic analysis of five structural models with different heights under 20 earthquake records. Related to frames height, results showed that 70% to 90% of forward directivity effects are accumulated in lower one‐third or half of model's height. Also, in near field of fault, growing rate of ductility demand at lower parts of model's height is two times higher than that of far‐fault regions. In addition, it was observed that ductility capacity in lower half of low‐rise or one‐third of high‐rise models has a key role in stability of moment frames under near‐fault pulse‐like motions. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Performance evaluation of different types of steel moment resisting frames subjected to strong ground motion through incremental dynamic analysis

Comparative studies on seismic performance for various types of steel moment resisting frames subjected to near field and far field earthquakes are performed through Incremental dynamic analysis (IDA) method in this study. Near field earthquake has a pulse like effects on the structures. It imports immediate force in very short duration to buildings. Therefore, destructive effects of surge energy are not negligible. Four intensity indices are used, namely, peak acceleration (PGA), spectral acceleration at the structure??s first-mode period (S_a(T₁, 5%)), spectral acceleration at the structure??s nth effective-mode period (S_a(T_n, 5%)) and the Spectral velocity at the structure??s first-mode period (S_v(T₁, 5%)). Numerical results illustrate that the intensity measure parameters related to ground velocity and the higher mode-related parameters present better correlation with the seismic responses of near source ground motion for given systems. The higher mode-related parameters are more suitable for tall systems subjected to near field earthquakes. Moreover, the chosen parameters S_a(T_n, 5%) and S_v(T₁, 5%) of near-fault impulsive ground motions enhance the performance of intensity measure of corresponding conventional parameters, i.e. S_a(T₁, 5%). A comparison for the special and intermediate steel moment resisting frames is made as regard to performance using IDA method. A more efficient performance is observed for the special moment resisting frames compare to intermediate ones.     

Numerical analysis of the nonlinear performance of concentrically braced frames under cyclic loading

Concentrically braced frames (CBFs) are widely used as lateral-load resisting system in steel structures. This study examines the effects of different parameters especially those associated with connections, on the behavior of CBFs. A single bay, singlestory frame is used to evaluate the interaction between structural members. Nonlinear analyses using a detailed inelastic finiteelement model (FEM) are carried out to study the behavior of frames subjected to cyclic loading. Models are designed based on seismic codes and analyzed to evaluate the performance of both SCBFs and OCBFs. The equivalent plastic strain concept is used to determine the ductility capacity and to predict fracture and failure in these models. Results show that the seismic performance of CBFs, which are designed according to current provisions can be improved by configuring the details of gusset plate connections in a way that inelastic demands are balanced in middle of brace and gusset plate corners.     

Effects of soil‐structure interaction and lateral design load pattern on performance‐based plastic design of steel moment resisting frames

The effects soil‐structure interaction (SSI) and lateral design load‐pattern are investigated on the seismic response of steel moment‐resisting frames (SMRFs) designed with a performance‐based plastic design (PBPD) method through a comprehensive analytical study on a series of 4‐, 8‐, 12‐, 14‐, and 16‐story models. The cone model is adopted to simulate SSI effects. A set of 20 strong earthquake records are used to examine the effects of different design parameters including fundamental period, design load‐pattern, target ductility, and base flexibility. It is shown that the lateral design load pattern can considerably affect the inelastic strength demands of SSI systems. The best design load patterns are then identified for the selected frames. Although SSI effects are usually ignored in the design of conventional structures, the results indicate that SSI can considerably influence the seismic performance of SMRFs. By increasing the base flexibility, the ductility demand in lower story levels decreases and the maximum demand shifts to the higher stories. The strength reduction factor of SMRFs also reduces by increasing the SSI effects, which implies the fixed‐base assumption may lead to underestimated designs for SSI systems. To address this issue, new ductility‐dependent strength reduction factors are proposed for multistory SMRFs with flexible base conditions.     

Seismic assessment of concrete buildings reinforced with shape memory alloy materials in different stories

Shape memory alloy (SMA) is a unique material with many beneficial characteristics such as superelasticity and excellent resistance against corrosion. However, the high expenses related to the material costs and difficulties associated with implementation of SMAs in reinforced concrete (RC) structures may limit their usage. To decrease the costs related to SMA installation, this paper investigates the seismic performance of RC moment‐resisting frames with the intention of specifying the optimal stories for SMA utilization. To this end, RC frames with 3, 5, 7, and 9 stories are modeled and various cases are considered for SMA locations in different story levels. For each building, 4 different cases are considered including a frame with regular steel reinforcement (Steel), a frame with SMAs in all story levels (full SMA), and 2 remaining cases consist of frames with SMAs in bottom and middle story levels only. In the first part, nonlinear dynamic time history analyses are conducted to evaluate the base shear, roof displacement, interstory, and residual drift demands of the structures using 10 ground‐motion records. In the second part, the incremental dynamic analysis is employed to assess the entire range of structural dynamic behavior. By using the generated data from incremental dynamic analysis procedure, fragility evaluation is conducted on multiple limit states to provide a comprehensive performance assessment for each case. The results indicate that frames with SMA in their lower story levels performed similar to frames equipped with SMA in all story levels. However, the fragility assessments show the better performance of frames with SMA in their bottom stories versus other cases. On this basis, the costs associated with SMA fabrication could be reduced noticeably (nearly two‐thirds) without sacrificing the overall performance of the frame and its post‐earthquake serviceability.