Seismic Analysis of Multistory Building Systems Using Microcomputers

Abstract

A simple mathematical model representing the full three‐dimensional linear elastic response of multistory building systems with horizontal rigid‐body floors subjected to multicomponent earthquake excitations is presented. The resulting time‐domain analysis technique relies on closed‐form algebraic expressions for the structural dynamic characteristics and subsequent modal decomposition developed by the writer in previous work. The corresponding algorithm was implemented in a program for automatic earthquake analysis on a microcomputer, and typical applications are illustrated by the solution of an example problem. The results of a series of parametric studies on the variation of effective earthquake story lateral forces and story torques with the gradient of elastic eccentricity along the building height are also presented.