Behaviour of frames with Non-Buckling bracings under earthquake loading

The energy dissipation capacity of conventional concentric braced frames in multi-storeyed buildings degrades drastically under earthquake loading, due to buckling of bracings under the compression regime. Non-Buckling bracing is an innovative patented system, in which the buckling of the bracing is prevented and the energy is dissipated by plastic deformation under tension-compression cycles, with stable hysteresis. The strength and stiffness of Non-Buckling bracing can be tailored to obtain the desired level of storey drift limit and energy absorption. A single-bay ten-storey concentric braced frame with diagonal Non-Buckling bracing is chosen for studying their effect during earthquake loadings. Non-linear time history analysis was carried out using SAP2000 to study the variation of maximum base shear, roof displacement, inter-storey drift, Damage Index and stresses in various members due to the El Centro earthquake accelerogram. It is observed that Non-Buckling bracings are effective in dissipating energy and controlling inter-storey drift. © 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.