Risk-Based Seismic Design for Optimal Structural and Nonstructural System Performance

An automated performance-based design methodology to optimize structural and nonstructural system performance is outlined and it is shown that it can be used to enhance understanding of structural steel system design for minimum life-cycle costs. Performance is assessed using loss probability with direct economic loss expressed as a percentage of the building replacement cost. Time-based performance assessment is used to compute the expected annual loss of a given steel framing system assuming exposure to three seismic hazard levels. Damage to the structural system, nonstructural displacement-sensitive components, and nonstructural acceleration-sensitive components is characterized using fragility functions. A steel building with three-story, four-bay topology taken from the literature is used to demonstrate application of the algorithm with subsequent comparison of designs obtained using the proposed methodology and others found in the literature.