• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.88 no.5
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• pp.463-480
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• 2023

The buckling-restrained braced frames with eccentric configurations (BRBF-Es) exhibit stable cyclic behavior and possess a high energy absorption capacity. Additionally, they offer architectural advantages for incorporating openings, much like Eccentrically Braced Frames (EBFs). However, studies have indicated that significant residual drifts occur in this system when subjected to earthquakes at the Maximum Considered Earthquake (MCE) hazard level. Consequently, in order to mitigate these residual drifts, it is recommended to employ self-centering systems alongside the BRBF-E system. In our current research, we propose the utilization of the Direct Displacement-Based Seismic Design method to determine the design base shear for a hybrid system that combines BRBF with an eccentric configuration and a self-centering frame. Furthermore, we present a methodology for designing the individual components of this composite system. To assess the effectiveness of this design approach, we designed 3-, 6-, and 9-story buildings equipped with the BRBF-E-SCF system and developed finite element models. These models were subjected to two sets of ground motions representing the Maximum Considered Earthquake (MCE) and Design Basis Earthquake (DBE) seismic hazard levels. The results of our study reveal that although the combined system requires a higher amount of steel material compared to the BRBF-E system, it substantially reduces residual drift. Furthermore, the combined system demonstrates satisfactory performance in terms of story drift and ductility demand.

• Advances in Computational Design
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.327-342
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• 2019

Rehabilitation and retrofitting of structures designed in accordance to standard design codes is an essential practice in structural engineering and design. For steel structures, one of the challenges is to strengthen the panel zone as well as its analysis in moment-resisting frames. In this research, investigations were undertaken to analyze the influence of the panel zone in the response of structural frames through a computational approach using ETABS software. Moment-resisting frames of six stories were studied in supposition of real panel zone, different values of rigid zone factor, different thickness of double plates, and both double plates and rigid zone factor together. The frames were analyzed, designed and validated in accordance to Iranian steel building code. The results of drift values for six stories building models were plotted. After verifying and comparing the results, the findings showed that the rigidity lead to reduction in drifts of frames and also as a result, lower rigidity will be used for high rise building and higher rigidity will be used for low rise building. In frames with story drifts more than the permitted rate, where the frames are considered as the weaker panel zone area, the story drifts can be limited by strengthening the panel zone with double plates. It should be noted that higher thickness of double plates and higher rigidity of panel zone will result in enhancement of the non-linear deformation rates in beam elements. The resulting deformations of the panel zone due to this modification can have significant influence on the elastic and inelastic behavior of the frames.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.791-818
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• 2013

The seismic performance of reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures with irregularities leading to soft first floor is studied using capacity assessment procedures. The soft first story effect is investigated for the cases: (i) slab-column connections without beams at the first floor, (ii) tall first story height and (iii) pilotis type building (open ground story). The effects of the first floor irregularity on the RC frame structure performance stages at global and local level (limit states) are investigated. Assessment based on the Capacity Spectrum Method (ATC-40) and on the Coefficient Method (FEMA 356) is also examined. Results in terms of failure modes, capacity curves, interstory drifts, ductility requirements and infills behaviour are presented. From the results it can be deduced that the global capacity of the structures is decreased due to the considered first floor morphology irregularities in comparison to the capacities of the regular structure. An increase of the demands for interstory drift is observed at the first floor level due to the considered irregularities while the open ground floor structure (pilotis type) led to even higher values of interstory drift demands at the first story. In the cases of tall first story and slab-column connections without beams soft-story mechanisms have also been observed at the first floor. Rotational criteria (EC8-part3) showed that the structure with slab-column connections without beams exhibited the most critical response.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.875-888
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• 2013

The researches have recently progressed toward the use of the superelastic shape memory alloys (SMAs) to develop new smart control systems that reduce permanent deformation occurring due to severe earthquake events and that automatically recover original configuration. The superelastic SMA materials are unique metallic alloys that can return to undeformed shape without additional heat treatments only after the removal of applied loads. Once the superelastic SMA materials are thus installed at the place where large deformations are likely to intensively occur, the structural system can make the best use of recentering capabilities. Therefore, this study is intended to propose new buckling-restrained braced frames (BRBFs) with superelastic SMA bracing systems. In order to verify the performance of such bracing systems, 6-story braced frame buildings were designed in accordance with the current design specifications and then nonlinear dynamic analyses were performed at 2D frame model by using seismic hazard ground motions. Based on the analysis results, BRBFs with innovative SMA bracing systems are compared to those with conventional steel bracing systems in terms of peak and residual inter-story drifts. Finally, the analysis results show that new SMA bracing systems are very effective to reduce the residual inter-story drifts.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.491-506
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• 2019

Literature regarding concrete walls reinforced by super elastic shape memory alloy (SMA) bars is rather limited. The seismic behavior of a system concurrently including a distinct steel reinforced concrete (RC) wall, as well as another wall reinforced by super elastic SMA at the first story, and steel rebar at upper stories, would be an interesting matter. In this paper, the seismic response of such a COMBINED system is compared to a conventional system with steel RC concrete walls (STEEL-Rein.) and also to a wall system with SMA rebar at the first story and steel rebar at other stories ( SMA-Rein.). Nonlinear time history analysis at maximum considered earthquake (MCE) and design bases earthquake (DBE) levels is conducted and the main responses like maximum inter-story drift ratio and residual inter-story drift ratio are investigated. Furthermore, incremental dynamic analysis is used to accomplish probabilistic seismic studies by creating fragility curves. Results demonstrated that the SMA-Rein. system, subjected to DBE and MCE ground motions, has almost zero and 0.27% residual maximum inter-story drifts, while the values for the COMBINED system are 0.25% and 0.51%. Furthermore, fragility curves show that using SMA rebar at the base of all walls causes a larger probability of exceedance 3% inter-story drift limit state compared to the COMBINED system. Static push over analysis demonstrated that the strength of the COMBINED model is almost 0.35% larger than that of the two other models, and its general post-yielding stiffness is also approximately twice the corresponding stiffness of the two other models.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.473-484
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• 2017

In this study a seismic retrofit scheme for a building structure was presented using steel plate slit dampers. The energy dissipation capacity of the slit damper used in the retrofit was verified by cyclic loading test. Genetic algorithm was applied to find out the optimum locations of the slit dampers satisfying the target displacement. The seismic retrofit of the model structure using the slit dampers was compared with the retrofit with enlarging shear walls. A simple damper distribution method was proposed using the capacity spectrum method along with the damper distribution pattern proportional to the inter-story drifts. The validity of the simple story-wise damper distribution procedure was verified by comparing the results of genetic algorithm. It was observed that the capacity-spectrum method combined with the simple damper distribution pattern leaded to satisfactory story-wise distribution of dampers compatible with the optimum solution obtained from genetic algorithm.

• KCI Concrete Journal
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.3-16
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• 2000

A series of dynamic and static tests were conducted to observe the actual responses of a 1:5 scale 3-story reinforced concrete(RC) frame which was designed only for gravity loads. One of the major objectives of these experiments is to provide the calibration to the available static and dynamic inelastic analysis techniques. In this study, the experimental results were simulated by using a nonlinear analysis program for reinforced concrete frame, IDARC-2D. The evaluation of the degree of the simulation leads to the conclusion that while the global behaviors such as story drifts and shears can be in general simulated with the limited accuracy in the dynamic nonlinear analysis, it is rather easy and simple to get the fairly high level of accuracy in the prediction of global and local behaviors in the static nonlinear analysis by using IDARC-2D.

• Journal of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute of Korea
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.629-636
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• 2011

It has been suggested that buildings designed for strong ground motions will also have improved resistance to air blast loads. As an initial attempt to quantify this behavior, the responses of a ten story steel building, designed for the 1994 building code, with lateral resistance provided by perimeter moment frames, is considered. An analytical model of the building is developed and the magnitude and distribution of blast loads on the structure are estimated using available computer software that is based on empirical methods. To obtain the relationship between pressure, time duration, and standoff distance, these programs are used to obtain an accurate model of the air blast loading. A hemispherical surface burst for various explosive weights and standoff distances is considered for generating the air blast loading and determining the structural response. Linear and nonlinear analyses are conducted for these loadings. Air blast demands on the structure are compared to current seismic guidelines. These studies present the displacement responses, story drifts, demand/capacity ratio and inelastic demands for this structure.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.185-198
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• 2003

The concept of performance based seismic design has been gradually accepted by the earthquake engineering profession recently, in which the cost-effectiveness criterion is one of the most important principles and more attention is paid to the structural performance at the inelastic stage. Since there are many uncertainties in seismic design, reliability analysis is a major task in performance based seismic design. However, structural reliability analysis may be very costly and time consuming because the limit state function is usually a highly nonlinear implicit function with respect to the basic design variables, especially for the complex large-scale structures for dynamic and nonlinear analysis. Understanding statistical properties of the structural inelastic deformation, which is the aim of the present paper, is helpful to develop an efficient approximate approach of reliability analysis. The present paper studies the statistical properties of the maximum elastoplastic story drift of steel frames subjected to earthquake load. The randomness of earthquake load, dead load, live load, steel elastic modulus, yield strength and structural member dimensions are considered. Possible probability distributions for the maximum story are evaluated using K-S test. The results show that the choice of the probability distribution for the maximum elastoplastic story drift of steel frames is related to the mean value of the maximum elastoplastic story drift. When the mean drift is small (less than 0.3%), an extreme value type I distribution is the best choice. However, for large drifts (more than 0.35%), an extreme value type II distribution is best.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.243-262
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• 2012

Nonlinear static analysis as an essential part of performance based design is now widely used especially at design offices because of its simplicity and ability to predict seismic demands on inelastic response of buildings. Since the accuracy of nonlinear static procedures (NSP) to predict seismic demands of buildings affects directly on the entire performance based design procedure, therefore lots of research has been performed on the area of evaluation of these procedures. In this paper, one of the popular NSP, FEMA356, is evaluated and compared with modal pushover analysis. The ability of these procedures to simulate seismic demands in a set of reinforced concrete (RC) buildings is explored with two level of base acceleration through a comparison with benchmark results determined from a set of nonlinear time history analyses. According to the results of this study, the modal pushover analysis procedure estimates seismic demands of buildings like inter story drifts and hinges plastic rotations more accurate than FEMA356 procedure.