Assessment of floor accelerations in special steel moment frames

Abstract

The floor acceleration response of Special Steel Moment Frames subjected to earthquakes is evaluated considering different modeling options, i.e., elastic and inelastic behavior, with and without gravity frames, and considering different strength levels of the partially restrained connections in the gravity frames. The characteristics of the Special Steel Moment Frames considered in this study are based on those considered in the ATC 76-1 project. The influence of each modeling option on peak floor accelerations and on floor response spectra is then investigated. Results are also compared with the design acceleration demands on nonstructural components indicated in ASCE 7, which leads to relevant observations.