An Engineering Comment for Simply Accelerating Seismic Response History Analysis of Mid-Rise Steel-Structure Buildings

Abstract

Response history analysis using a time integration method is a powerful versatile tool in accessing structures seismic behaviours. To reduce the analysis run-time, a technique was proposed in 2008 for time integration with steps larger than the steps of ground motions. The technique has been implemented in seismic assessment of frames, buildings, bridges, silos, etc., leading to considerable reductions in the analysis run-time, without notable effect on the response accuracy. The technique has recently been named as the SEB THAAT (Step- Enlargement-Based Time-History-Analysis-Acceleration-Technique). To use the SEB THAAT, the smallest dominant period of the response needs to be available prior to the analysis. In this paper, concentrating on 5-20-floor steel-structure buildings, a simple engineering comment is proposed that eliminates this need. As a result, in response history analysis of mid-rise steel-structure buildings subjected to ground motion, by using the proposed comment, we may reduce the analysis run-time, significantly, without any initial information about the response. The reduction is 50% for the linear analyses.