Seismic responses and resilience of novel SMA-based self-centring eccentrically braced frames under near-fault ground motions

In this paper, the seismic responses and resilience of a novel K-type superelastic shape memory alloy (SMA) self-centring (SC) eccentrically braced frame (EBF) are investigated. The simulation models of the SMA-based SC-EBF and a corresponding equal-stiffness traditional EBF counterpart are first established based on some existing tests. Then twenty-four near-fault ground motions are used to examine the seismic responses of both EBFs under design basis earthquake (DBE) and maximum considered earthquake (MCE) levels. Structural fragility and loss analyses are subsequently conducted through incremental dynamic analyses (IDA), and the resilience of the two EBFs are eventually estimated. The resilience assessment basically follows the framework proposed by Federal Emergency and Management Agency (FEMA) with the additional consideration of the maximum residual inter-storey drift ratio (MRIDR). The novel SMA-based SC-EBF shows a much better resilience in the study and represents a promising attractive alternative for future applications.