Assessment on the deflection amplification factor of steel buckling-restrained bracing frames

Abstract

Researchers in the field of earthquake engineering are always looking for new ways to improve the seismic behavior of structures. The buckling-restrained brace (BRB) is one of these exciting innovations that are employed to increase the ductility capacity of traditional steel braced frames. Understanding the nonlinear response of these novel systems in estimating maximum displacements due to an earthquake has been of significant importance for structural designers. Accordingly, this research is carried out to study of deflection amplification factor ( C d) in BRBs, which have recently been presented in seismic design provisions as one of the seismic lateral-resisting systems. To this end, five 3-, 5-, 7-, 10-, and 15-story BRBs are modeled in the software framework of OpenSees. Ground motion simulation is performed by selecting several scaled earthquake records, and the values of elastic and ultimate displacements of structural systems are computed through pushover and nonlinear time-history analyses. The results showed that the deflection amplification factor suggested within famous building codes (such as ASCE-7-16) compared to the obtained values is, in some cases, for certainty; conversely, it is underestimated under some conditions. In fact, the findings indicate that the magnitude of C d in these systems is strongly related to the height of the building.