Experimental and Numerical Study of Near-Fault Seismic Performance of 2-Story Steel Framed Building with Self-Centering Modular Panels

Abstract

This paper presents the full-scale shake-table test and numerical simulation study results of a 2-story beam-through steel frame (BTSF) equipped with self-centering modular panels (SCMPs) subjected to near-fault ground motion records. A SCMP is a portable self-centering device that can be inserted and bolted to steel frames to provide lateral force resistance with recentering capability and replaceable seismic fuse devices for energy dissipation. Previous research works have been done on the analytical study, quasi-static cyclic loading testing, and numerical study of the general seismic behavior of the SCMP systems with different energy dissipation components including tension-only braces, slit steel plate shear walls (SWs), and hysteretic dampers. An important aim of this study is to experimentally verify the seismic performance of full-scale steel frame structures with SCMPs via shaking-table tests capable of applying pulselike ground motion. A literature review of previous research works suggested that near-fault ground motions can amplify the dynamic response of structures and cause more extensive damage compared with far-fault ground motion records. To achieve this goal of studying the effect of near-fault ground motion records on the test structure installed with SCMPs, a nonlinear finite-element (FE) model has been developed for a parametric study in which a set of near-fault ground motion records were used as base excitation to the structure model. The nonlinear dynamic analysis results showed that the test structure exhibited self-centering capability under both design-basis earthquake (DBE) and maximum considered earthquake (MCE) cases. Additionally, the effect of energy dissipation capacity on the test structure’s response is also discussed.