Abstract
To improve economy and increase efficiency in designing the steel buildings made with W-shape members, the use of two-dimensional moment-resisting steel frames (MRSFs) in the perimeter, to carry seismic loads, and of interior gravity frames (IGFs), to carry gravity loads, has become very popular. This provides a simpler frame to analyze and design. The behavior of such buildings is addressed in this paper. Two model buildings suggested by FEMA are used in the study. Linear and nonlinear global and local responses are calculated. The results indicate that modelling 3-D structures with 2-D perimeter frames is conservative and that ignoring the lateral load carrying capacity of IGFs or ignoring the rigidity of connections in those adds several levels of conservatism in the overall design. This study also indicates that IGFs may need to carry up to 35% of the total lateral load caused by the seismic excitation. An implication of this is that the members in IGFs may not be able to carry this unexpected load.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 133-146 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | ISET Journal of Earthquake Technology |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue number | 3-4 |
| State | Published - 2009 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Interior gravity frames
- Perimeter moment frames
- Pinned connections
- Semi-rigid connections
- Steel buildings
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Civil and Structural Engineering
- Building and Construction