On the European Norms of Design of Buckling Restrained Braced Frames

Abstract

The application of buckling restrained braced frames is hindered in Europe by the absence of a standardized design procedure in Eurocode 8, the European seismic design standard. The presented research aims to develop a robust design procedure for buckling restrained braced frames. A design procedure is proposed by the authors. Its performance has been evaluated for buckling restrained braced frames with two-bay X-brace type brace configurations using a state-of-the-art methodology based on the recommendations in the FEMA P695 document. A special numerical material model was developed within the scope of this research to represent the behavior of buckling restrained braces more appropriately in a numerical environment. A total of 24 archetype designs were prepared and their nonlinear dynamic response was calculated using real ground motion records in incremental dynamic analyses. Evaluation of archetype collapse probabilities confirms that the proposed design procedure can utilize the advantageous behavior of buckling restrained braces. Resulting reliability indices suggest a need for additional regulations in the Eurocodes that introduce reasonable structural reliability index limits for seismic design.