Efficiency Assessment of Seismic Retrofitting Using Buckling Restrained Braces

• Autor(a) principal: Cordeiro, Miguel Ignez Jorge de Ramirez
• Data de Publicação: 2017
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10362/23427
• topic: Non-linear dynamic analysis; Finite Elements; Buckling Restrained Braces; Fragility; Domínio/Área Científica::Engenharia e Tecnologia::Engenharia Civil

The main purpose of the present dissertation is to study the efficiency of buckling restrained braces (BRB) when used as seismic dampers in reinforced concrete frame structures. The study was conducted on the RC frame structure reported by Sarno and Manfredi. Their experimental campaign results, available for the structure with and without BRBs, were used to calibrate a numerical model implemented in the FE program SeismoStruct. A probabilistic approach was used next to assess the efficiency of the BRBs. Following the provisions of the Probabilistic Model Code of the Joint Committe of Structural Safety, several key parameters in the FE model were assumed to have a probabilistic distribution. Random generation of their values allowed to create 50 numerical models of the structure. Subsequent non-linear incremental dynamic analysis preformed on these structures without any type of bracing, provided with BRB and traditional bracing, yielded fragility curves that can be used to estimate the damage reduction in the controlled structures and assess efficiency of the BRBs when used as seismic retrofitting. Buckling restrained braces have shown to be capable of reducing the damage caused by strong ground motions due to seismic actions.