Performance-based plastic design of buckling-restrained braced frames with eccentric configurations

The buckling-restrained braced frames with eccentric configurations (BRBFECs) are stable cyclic behavior and high energy absorption capacity. Furthermore, they have an architectural advantage for creating openings like eccentrically braced frames (EBFs). In the present study, it has been suggested to use the performance-based plastic design (PBPD) method to calculate the design base shear of the BRBFEC systems. Moreover, in this study, to reduce the required steel material, it has been suggested to use the performance-based practical design (PBPD) method instead of the force-based design (FBD) method for the design of this system. The 3-, 6-, and 9-story buildings with the BRBFEC system were designed, and the finite element models were modeled. The seismic performance of the models was investigated using two suits of ground motions representing the maximum considered earthquake (MCE) and design basis earthquake (DBE) seismic hazard levels. The results showed that the models designed with the suggested method, which had lower weights compared to those designed with the FBD method, had a desirable seismic performance in terms of maximum story drift and ductility demand under earthquakes at both MCE and DBE seismic hazard levels. This suggests that the steel weights of the structures designed with the PBPD method are about 13% to 18% lesser than the FBD method. However, the residual drifts in these models were higher than those in the models designed with the FBD method. Also, in earthquakes at the DBE hazard level, the residual drifts in all models except the PBPD-6s and PBPD-9s models were less than the allowable reparability limit.