Numerical seismic fragility analysis for suspended ceilings with various geometries

Abstract

Damage to suspended ceiling systems have impeded the functionality of buildings after the recent seismic events. Several experimentally validated numerical models have been developed for these systems, but because of the limitations of the current modelling techniques our understanding of their seismic vulnerabilities has remained insufficient. This is mainly because these models have been developed based on a specific experimental setup and certain ceiling geometries. In addition, the lack of a numerical model that captures the seismic failure progression of ceiling systems has prevented performing reliable fragility analyses. Even if we assume that such a numerical model is available, the effort needed to model such a complicated system prohibits investigation of diverse design and geometric variations. In a novel approach, this study has advanced an automated approach for generating the analytical models. This paper introduces an automated workflow for generating the ceiling models of different geometries and design in the OpenSees platform. The seismic behavior of unbraced suspended ceiling systems with various aspect ratios is investigated, and their unique fragility curves are developed. The fragility curves are compared against those presented in the FEMA-P58, which showed close agreement. In addition, new sets of fragility curves were developed for the ceiling geometries other than those presented in FEMA-P58.