Seismic Performance Assessment of Isolated Low-Rise Steel Structures Based on Loss Estimation

Abstract

Base isolation (BI) has proven to be an effective method to decrease the seismic vibration and mitigating seismic risks; however, construction cost of the BI buildings is expected to be increased compared with the conventional buildings due to the technology required by the BI system. Consequently, it is essential to examine if the increased construction cost of the BI system would be balanced by the reduced seismic losses throughout the life span of the building. Cost-benefit analysis can specify the economic feasibility of BI buildings with regard to conventional buildings based on loss estimation. Loss estimation procedures consider repair costs, injuries and fatalities, downtime and its consequences in seismic events; and cost-benefit analyses considering discount rates are used to assess seismic performance of isolated low-rise steel structures. It was shown that the increased construction cost of these structures can be repaid within 7–41 years. The analysis results show that seismic isolation decreases the collapse probability in superstructures significantly and can be economical in reducing seismic risk of the low-rise steel structures.