Redundancy of Dual and Steel Moment Frame Systems under Earthquakes

The reliability/redundancy of structural system has become a serious concern among engineers and researchers after structural failures in Northridge and Kobe earthquakes. The reliability/redundancy factor, ρ, in current codes considers only member force and floor area and has received much criticism from dissatisfied engineers. Within a reliability framework. the redundancy is investigated for dual systems of primary shear walls and secondary moment frames and steel moment frame systems. Probabilistic performance analyses are carried out baled on nonlinear responses under SAC ground motion. The effects of structural configuration, ductilily capacity, 3-D motion, and uncertainty of demand verses capacity are investigated. Important redundancy-contributing factors are identified and a uniform-risk redundancy factor is developed for design. The result are compared with the p factor and its inconsistency is pointed out.