Evaluating the inelastic displacement ratios of moment-resisting steel frames designed according to the Egyptian code

Seismic codes estimate the maximum displacements of building structures under the design-basis earthquakes by amplifying the elastic displacements under the reduced seismic design forces with a deflection amplification factor(DAF). The value of DAF is often estimated as ρ× R, where R is the force reduction factor and ρ is the inelastic displacement ratio that accounts for the inelastic action of the structure according to the definition presented by FEMA P695. The purpose of this study is to estimate the ρ-ratio of moment resisting steel frames(MRSFs) designed according to the Egyptian code. This is achieved by conducting a series of elastic and inelastic time-history analyses by two sets of earthquakes on four MRSFs designed according to the Egyptian code and having 2, 4, 8 and 12 stories. The earthquakes are scaled to produce maximum story drift ratios(MSDRs) of 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0% and 2.5%. The mean values of the ρ-ratio are calculated based on the displacement responses of the investigated frames. The results obtained in this study indicate that the consideration of ρ for both the roof drift ratios(RDRs) and the MSDRs equal to 1.0 is a reasonable estimation for MRSFs designed according to the Egyptian code.     

Theoretical-period characteristics of frame buildings designed under variable levels of seismicity and allowable-drift

Period equations provided by seismic codes are generally derived by calibration with recorded period data of buildings located in high seismicity regions. These period-equations do not account for either the design level of seismicity or the permissible limit of lateral drift. Buildings designed under high level of seismicity are expected to display higher stiffness and shorter periods than buildings designed under low-to-medium seismicity levels. In addition, buildings designed with high level of permissible lateral-drift are expected to display lower stiffness and longer periods than buildings designed with low level of permissible lateral-drift. In this study, the theoretical fundamental-periods of an ensemble of regular reinforced concrete(RC) and steel moment-resisting frame(MRF) buildings having 3-, 6-, 9-and 12-stories and designed with various levels of seismicity and permissible lateral-drift are evaluated. The obtained outcome indicates the sensitivity of the MRF theoretical-periods to the design seismicity and the permissible lateral-drift. The results also indicate the need for modifying the current period equations to realistically account for the variations in the design seismicity and allowable lateral-drift of MRF buildings.     

Response-based damage assessment of structures

The structure's ability to survive an earthquake may be measured in terms of the expected state of damage of the structure after the earthquake. Damage may be quantified by using any of several damage indices defined as functions whose values can be related to particular structural damage states. A number of available response-based damage indices are discussed and critically evaluated for their applicability in seismic damage evaluation. A new rational approach for damage assessment is presented which provides a measure of the physical response characteristics of the structure and is better suited for non-linear structural analysis. A practical method based on the static pushover analysis is proposed to estimate the expected damage to structures when subjected to earthquakes of different intensities. Results of the analysis of ductile and non-ductile reinforced concrete buildings show that the proposed procedure for damage assessment gives a simple, consistent and rational damage indicator for structures. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.