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Investigation into the 3D Behaviour of Split-Level Steel Building Structures: Introducing the LBDM

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Abstract

Irregular buildings constitute a large portion of the modern urban structures. Based on experiences of past earthquakes, irregular configuration of buildings or asymmetrical distribution of structural properties trigger an increase in seismic demand, intensifying the vulnerability of the structure. In this work, the effects of splitting in levels, classified as vertical irregularity, on the seismic behaviour of some 3D steel structures are studied. Studied models consisted of five-, ten- and fifteen-storey 3D steel special moment-resisting frames, split just in one direction, with six different plans. Equivalent static method together with a special pattern for distributing the base shear, named Level-Based Distribution Method, and also response spectrum analysis, both based on ASCE 7–16 and UBC 97, were used for studying all the models. It was observed that for lateral force distribution, UBC 97 method led to better correlation between static and dynamic results compared to ASCE 7–16 for this category of structures. Moreover, the obtained results revealed that splitting gives rise to developing less total base shear in the lower level columns compared to that in the higher ones. Furthermore, the effects of ‘accidental torsion’ on split-level structures are approximately the same as those on their regular counterparts in the direction of splitting but much less in the perpendicular direction.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Azadi Ave., P.O. Box 11155-9313, Tehran, 14588-89694, Iran

    Seyed Vahid Khonsari & Farshid Eskandaritorbaghan

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  1. Seyed Vahid Khonsari
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  2. Farshid Eskandaritorbaghan
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Correspondence to Seyed Vahid Khonsari.

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Khonsari, S.V., Eskandaritorbaghan, F. Investigation into the 3D Behaviour of Split-Level Steel Building Structures: Introducing the LBDM. Int J Steel Struct 22, 833–850 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13296-022-00607-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13296-022-00607-0

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