The use of cost-benefit analysis in performance-based earthquake engineering of steel structures

It is of great importance to be able to evaluate different structural systems not only based on their seismic performance but also considering their lifetime service costs. Many structural systems exist that can meet the engineering requirements for different performance levels; therefore, these systems shall be selected based on their economic costs over time. In this paper, two structural systems, including special steel moment-resisting and the ordinary concentric braced frames, are considered, which are designed to meet the three performance levels: Immediate Occupancy (IO), Life Safety (LS), Collapse Prevention (CP). The seismic behavior of these two systems is studied under three strong ground motions (i.e., Tabas, Bam, Kajour earthquake records) using the Perform3D package, and the incurred damages to the studied systems are examined at two hazard levels. Economic analyses were performed to determine the most economical structural system to meet the specified performance level requirements, considering the initial cost and costs associated with damages of an earthquake that occurred during their lifetime. In essence, the economic lifetime study results show that the special moment-resisting frames at IO and LS performance levels are at least 20% more economical than braced frames. The result of the study for these building systems with different heights designed for different performance levels also shows it is more economical from the perspective of long-term ownership of the property to design for higher performance levels even though the initial construction cost is higher.