Elastic and inelastic acceleration amplification of nonstructural components characterized using recorded building responses

Abstract

This paper presents a comprehensive study of the acceleration (or force) amplification behavior of building nonstructural components characterized using a large set of recorded building responses available in the Center for Engineering Strong Motion Data (CESMD) repository. The elastic acceleration amplification demands of nonstructural components are analyzed statistically and subsequently compared with the corresponding inelastic demands characterized by the constant-ductility floor response spectra. Different simplified hysteretic rules are adopted for evaluating the inelastic acceleration responses of nonstructural components. The numerical study demonstrates that the elastic acceleration amplification characteristics of the nonstructural components are highly dependent on their natural periods relative to the specific vibration modes of the supporting structures as well as their attachment locations relative to the building height. The presence of component ductility effectively reduces their seismic acceleration demands, particularly in period ranges tuned with their supporting structures. Furthermore, the hysteretic behavior of nonstructural components may moderately modify their acceleration amplification effects. Findings from this study substantiate current seismic design provisions of nonstructural components with evidence derived from building floor responses recorded during real earthquakes.