Probabilistic assessment of SMRFs with infill masonry walls incorporating nonlinear soil-structure interaction

Abstract

Infill Masonry Walls (IMWs) are used in the perimeter of a building to separate the inner and outer space. IMWs may affect the lateral behavior of buildings, while they are different from those partition walls that separate two inner spaces. This study focused on the seismic vulnerability assessment of Steel Moment-Resisting Frames (SMRFs) assuming different placement of IMWs incorporating nonlinear Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI). The aim is to explore the damage states of IMWs and use their ability for improving the vulnerability of SMRFs. For this purpose, the three, five, seven, and nine story levels (3-Story, 5-Story, 7-Story, and 9-Story) SMRFs were modeled considering four soil types. Incremental Dynamic Analyses (IDAs) were performed to determine the seismic performance limit-state capacities of SMRFs considering the Far-Fault (FF) record subset suggested by FEMA P695. To accurately model the influence of IMWs on the seismic response of SMRFs, a Tcl programming algorithm was developed to intelligently monitor the damage states of IMWs in each floor level. Results of the analysis show that assuming different placement of IMWs can significantly increase the seismic limit-state capacities of SMRFs with and without considering SSI effects. In addition, IMWs can play a crucial role to improve the seismic performances as well as the seismic collapse probability, which may be suggested for retrofitting purposes.