Optimal Mixed Placement and Capacity Distribution of Buckling-Restrained Braces and Conventional Braces on a Large Metal Spatial Structure Without Rigid Diaphragm Assumption

Abstract

This paper presents a design application of the proposed generalized response spectrum analysis (GRSA)-based seismic optimization method to a large metal spatial structure (constructed in Japan) where a rigid diaphragm assumption is not available and displacement responses are disproportionally distributed in a story. It also discusses the optimal mixed placement and capacity distribution of buckling-restrained braces (BRBs) and conventional braces (CBs) to minimize both the story drift response and the number of BRBs (i.e., the introduction cost of expensive energy-dissipation devices used as dampers). GRSA is a quick and efficient analysis method for estimating the reduced seismic responses of structural models with a large degree of freedom, and GRSA-based computational optimization enables a more efficient seismic design process than trial-and-error approaches with time-consuming nonlinear response history analysis. In this study, the efficiency is verified through a comparison with the Japanese standard BRB design method. According to the results, the optimal design solution by the proposed method has approximately 20% less steel tonnage of BRBs than that obtained from the standard method, whereas the seismic performance is equal to or better than the others. Moreover, although engineers should still consider the possibility of damage concentration, the brace configuration of the substructure where BRBs and CBs are arranged in adjacent stories is the most effective for reducing both the number of BRBs and the story drift response.