Feasibility analysis of the application of restricted buckling braces as a response control system

Abstract

Peru is a country with high seismic activity, necessitating the implementation of seismic response control techniques in its buildings to enhance protection without incurring high costs. Although seismic response control systems are already in use, displacement-activated energy dissipators, such as buckling restrained braces (BRB), are not yet common in Peru, unlike in other countries where they are widely used. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to redesign a structural steel building using buckling restrained braces as a seismic response control system. Secondary objectives include analyzing the theoretical principles behind the design of these elements, determining the most appropriate configuration for the specified building, evaluating the proposed reinforcement through nonlinear analyses, and comparing performance differences with and without the use of BRBs. For this, both national and international standards such as the Peruvian seismic-resistant design standard E030, ASCE 7-16, AISC 341-16, and AISC 360-16, among others, were applied. The process began with an extensive compilation of information and bibliographic review, followed by the selection of the steel building for redesign with the new response control system. The main configurations of BRB suitable for the proposed analysis direction were explored and selected. Subsequently, the building design was initiated, starting with the sizing of the BRB cores and their verification under the Peruvian standard E030 through a linear dynamic analysis. The design was then evaluated by adjusting the force distributions of the BRBs in the other frame components. Finally, a comparison of the structural performance of the system with BRBs versus the original SCBF system was conducted through a nonlinear static analysis, concluding with a nonlinear dynamic Time-History analysis to verify the building's maximum responses, such as drifts, displacements, forces, and dissipated energy.