Energy factor of high strength steel frames with energy dissipation bays under repeated near field earthquakes

This investigation contributes to quantification of the inelastic seismic demands for high strength steel moment resisting frames equipped with energy dissipation bays (HSSF-EDBs) subjected to seismic sequences composed of repeated near-field ground motions. The emphasis is placed on the energy factor demand. A statistical examination of a database with more than eighty million energy factor demands of single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) oscillators representing HSSF-EDBs responding in different yielding stages is conducted. The research findings show that in the damage-control stage, the energy factor which quantifies the peak seismic demand of a HSSF-EDB structure is insensitive to the repeated near-field earthquake motions. In contrast, a remarkable elevation of the energy factor is observed when oscillators characterising HSSF-EDBs progress into the ultimate stage. In addition, an increasing post-yielding stiffness ratio of the nonlinear force-displacement response in the damage-control stage may produce a detrimental effect on HSSF-EDBs progressing into the ultimate stage under repeated near-field earthquakes due to the corresponding evident increase of seismic demands. A nonlinear regression model quantifying the mean energy factor demand of the system under repeated near-field earthquake motions is proposed to facilitate performance-based seismic design of HSSF-EDBs.