Numerical Seismic Performance of an Innovative CFS Midrise Building Designed Using DDD

Abstract

Light-gauge cold-formed steel (CFS) is being used more and more as an economical and high performing construction material. In this paper, a numerical study of the seismic performance of an innovative light-gauge cold-formed steel midrise building designed using direct displacement design (DDD) is presented. This new system, termed a uniform truss construction system (UTCS), includes floor trusses, open panels, v-braced panels, columns, and connections between components. A series of reversed-cyclic tests of subassembly structures was conducted to provide the key information to understand the performance of the system under cyclic loading. The test data was then integrated into a numerical model for nonlinear time history analysis. A simplified shear element was developed to represent the panels as well as the floor diaphragm in the numerical model of the system. Nonlinear time history analysis of the building was conducted using a suite of 22 prominent earthquakes recorded from around the world. The results show that the building performs very well compared with the required performance criteria at the global level.