Comparison of seismic performance between typical structural steel buildings designed following the Chinese and United States codes

Abstract

In this study, comparative investigations of a typical steel moment frame and a steel frame-braced core-tube structure, designed following different seismic codes, are conducted to evaluate the significant differences between the Chinese and the United States (US) seismic codes for steel buildings. The study outcomes can enhance the understanding of the differences in steel structure design between two countries, especially the differences in seismic performance. Specifically, the design outputs of the structural components, material consumptions, dynamic characteristics, and seismic loads were analyzed. Subsequently, finite element (FE) models based on the design outputs were established to assess the seismic performance and collapse margin. Furthermore, the local buckling effect of the steel components can be considered in the FE model, which can effectively predict the buckling-induced strength deterioration under excessive deformation. The comparison results reveal that, under the same design conditions in this study, both the strength requirement and deflection limit are critical factors that control the typical buildings design following the Chinese codes. However, the strength requirement is the primary factor that controls the design outcomes following the US codes. Moreover, the collapse resistance of the steel moment frames from both codes are similar, but the material consumption based on the Chinese design code is comparatively higher. In contrast, the material consumption of the steel frame-braced core-tube structures are comparable, but the collapse resistance of the US design code is better. Furthermore, the collapse analyses indicate that the local buckling effect could significantly reduce the collapse resistance.