Design Basis Earthquake Research Articles

A Physical-organizational Method for the Functionality Assessment of A Hospital Subjected to Earthquakes

ABSTRACT Hospitals play vital roles in mitigation and recovery in earthquake-hit communities. This paper aims to clarify the effect of physical damage on hospital organizations and represent a holistic method for the functionality assessment of a hospital. The efficiency of the method is demonstrated based on the case study of a general hospital. The results indicate that the functionality of hospitals would be significantly affected after the maximum considered earthquake. A considerable gap exists between the hospital treatment capacity and the patient demand for medical services. The method will assist hospital stakeholders and managers in design and upgrade criteria selection. Abbreviation: CT: Imaging Procedure; DBE: Design Basis Earthquake; DES: Discrete Event Simulation; DR: Digital Radiography; EDPs: Engineering Demand Parameters; HVAC: Heating Ventilation and Air Conditions; MCE: Maximum Considered Earthquake; OR: Operation Room; PFA: Peak Floor Acceleration; PFV: Peak Floor Velocity; PIDR: Peak Inter-story Drift ratio; RC: Reinforced Concrete; RIDR: Residual Inter-story Drift Ratio; RR: Resuscitation Room; SLE: Service Level Earthquake; UPS: Uninterruptible Power Supply; US: Ultrasound Room; WT: Waiting Time

Experimental investigation of pulse‐type ground motion effects on a steel building with nonlinear viscous dampers

AbstractNear‐fault pulse‐type ground motions have characteristics that are substantially different from ordinary far‐field ground motions. It is essential to understand the unique effects of pulse‐type ground motions on structures and include the effects in seismic design. This paper investigates the effects of near‐fault pulse‐type ground motions on the structural response of a 3‐story steel structure with nonlinear viscous dampers using the real‐time hybrid simulation (RTHS) testing method. The structure is designed for 75% of the code‐specified design base shear strength. In the RTHS, the loop of action and reaction between the experimental and numerical partitions are executed in real time, accurately capturing the velocity pulse effects of pulse‐type ground motions. A set of 10 unscaled pulse‐type ground motions at the design basis earthquake (DBE) level is used for the RTHS. The test results validated that RTHS is a viable method for experimentally investigating the complicated structural behavior of structures with rate‐dependent damping devices, and showed that the dampers are essentially effective in earthquake hazard mitigation effects involving pulse‐type ground motions. The average peak story drift ratio under the set of pulse‐type ground motions is 1.08% radians with a COV value less than 0.3, which indicated that structural system would achieve the ASCE 7–10 seismic performance objective for Occupancy Category III structures under the DBE level pulse‐type ground motions. Additionally, a nonlinear Maxwell model for the nonlinear viscous dampers is validated for future structural reliability numerical studies involving pulse‐type ground motions.

Seismic Hazard Assessment of Shigo Kas Hydro-Power Project (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan)

In this paper, a seismic hazard assessment (SHA) of the Shigo Kas hydropower project has been performed by deterministic and probabilistic approaches. The previously developed MATLAB-based code has been used for deterministic SHA, incorporating local site effects through deep soil analysis. On the other hand, for probabilistic SHA, CRISIS 2007 has been used through diffuse areal source zones. The latest updated earthquake instrumental and historical catalogs have been developed. Based on the recommendations of the International Commission on Large Dams, peak ground acceleration (PGA) values for the maximum credible earthquake (MCE), safety evaluation earthquake (SEE), design basis earthquake (DBE) and operating basis earthquake (OBE) have been assessed, which are 0.50 g, 0.68 g, 0.35 g and 0.24 g, respectively, at the intake location, and 0.50 g, 0.61 g, 0.30 g and 0.22 g, respectively, at the powerhouse location. Hazard maps have been developed for scenario-based earthquakes (MCE) and for the peak ground acceleration of 145-, 475- and 2500-year return periods. The de-aggregation process has evaluated the combined effects of magnitude and distance. At a distance of 30 to 70 km from the earthquake source, earthquakes of magnitude 5 Mw to 5.6 Mw and 5.9 Mw to 6.5 Mw are more hazardous for the current project.

Retrofitting of an RC frame building damaged in “April 2015 Gorkha earthquake” in Kathmandu valley

The effect of “April 2015 Gorkha Earthquake” was devastating in terms of loss of life, heritage, buildings and emotions. A residence located at Purano Naikap-13, Kathmandu, built in 2006 was also severely damaged amongst many buildings. The building was a three and half story non-engineered reinforced concrete (RC) building. The main objective of this paper is to show the step-by-step process of retrofitting adopted in this building. After the initial survey and structural analysis in ETABS software, a suitable repairing and restoring of the stability of the structure was done which was followed by an appropriate retrofitting techniques. Concrete jacketing and steel jacketing with epoxy chemical grouts in columns were the two main interventions implemented. Pushover analysis was done to assess performance of the retrofitted building. The building was deemed acceptable; the Life Safety level was not exceeded under design basis earthquakes.

Seismic performance enhancing of novel self-centering precast concrete frame using replaceable hysteretic dampers

To break through the design criteria of “equivalent cast-in-place” for “wet connection”, a new self-centering precast concrete (SCPC) frame with replaceable hysteretic dampers is proposed to provide sufficient energy dissipation damping, vertical shear, and self-recovering capacities. This paper focuses on the seismic behaviors enhancing of the novel SCPC frame joint compared with traditional cast-in-place reinforced concrete (RC) frame joint. The working principle of the novel hybrid joint is illustrated, and seven cyclic loading tests with different test parameters were conducted on the three full-sized novel SCPC joints and one full-sized RC joint. The hysteresis behavior, skeleton curves, stiffness degradation, energy dissipation characteristics, and reinforcement strain of these test results were discussed. Performance-based design targets under the Design Basis Earthquake (DBE) and the Maximum Credible Earthquake (MCE) levels are defined, the design procedure of the novel SCPC frame has been developed. Furthermore, a novel SCPC frame located in the high-intensity area in China is designed based on the design procedure, elastoplastic dynamic analyses of the novel SCPC frame and RC frame are performed subjected to the DBE and MCE levels. The global and local responses illustrate the seismic behaviors and structural reliability of the novel hybrid SCPC frame with replaceable hysteretic dampers have been significantly enhanced.

Seismic design and performance of self-centering precast concrete frames with variable friction dampers

This paper presents the numerical investigation of the seismic performance of post-tensioned self-centering precast concrete (SCPC) frames with variable friction dampers (VFDs) and hidden corbels (HCs). The VFDs are characterized by the combination of flat and grooved plates, where the friction forces change as the connection deformation increases, which enables designs to meet target seismic performance objectives at different seismic hazard levels. Theoretical and numerical models for the connection are proposed based on connection geometry, and a performance-based seismic design approach for the SCPC frames is outlined to meet target performance objectives at two common seismic hazard levels, the design basis earthquake (DBE) and the maximum considered earthquake (MCE). SCPC frames for a six-story prototype building located in a high seismic zone in California were designed using this procedure. Three frames with HC-VFD-SPSC connections were designed using various methods to mitigate concentration of drifts in the first story, and one frame was designed with conventional constant friction devices (CFDs) for comparison. Nonlinear time-history analyses were performed for these different designs using two sets of ground motions representing the DBE and MCE seismic hazard levels. The analysis results indicate that the frames with the HC-VFD-SCPC connections achieved the target performance objectives. The proposed approaches of modifying post-tensioning and VFD design parameters or column stiffness in the first story were effective in mitigating the concentration of drifts. Additionally, through comparison with the results of the frame with CFDs, it was found that the VFDs are effective in decreasing overall drift demands at the MCE level, as well as mitigating detrimental higher mode effects observed in SCPC frames with CFDs.

Seismic performance of self-centering glulam frame with friction damper

The self-centering structure has good recentering capacity and seismic performance, and its application in timber structures can significantly reduce the residual displacement of the structure. In this paper, the seismic performance of the self-centering glulam (SCG) frame with friction damper (FD) is studied from three aspects: the test of beam-to-column joint, the seismic design method of frame and the dynamic time history analysis of frame. Firstly, a low-cycle reversed loading test was carried out on the glulam beam-to-column joint with the initial post-tensioned (PT) force as a variable. According to the test results, the beam-to-column joint showed both good self-centering capacity and hysteretic behavior. Then, a simplified performance-based seismic design method of the FD-SCG frame was proposed, with a 6-story self-centering frame structure as the design example. The nonlinear dynamic time history analysis and parametric analysis of the frame were conducted by the OpenSees. The dynamic time history analysis proves from both the global and local response that the frame has a good seismic response under the design basis earthquake (DBE) and the maximum considered earthquake (MCE), while the frame also has safety reserve under the MCE level. The average values of the maximum inter-story drift of the frame under the DBE and MCE levels are 0.31% and 1.92%, respectively, which are less than the design limitation. The parametric analysis results showed that the increase of the PT tendons number, that is, the increase of the second stiffness can reduce the damage of acceleration-sensitive nonstructural components.

Earthquake-Resilient Design of Seismically Isolated Buildings: A Review of Technology

Earthquake Seismic isolation plays an important role in achieving sustainable earthquake resilience communities. Seismic isolation method is a justified, mature, and reliable performance enhancement strategy for a wide range of structural systems and valuable contents. As a result of the targeted response modification, high-performance expectations and earthquake resilience can be achieved during the service life of the structures that are compliant with the design code requirements. Design and analysis procedures of isolation systems in standards were evolved substantially to expand the use of isolation technology and quantify the benefits of isolation systems to overcome the existing impediments. Strictly speaking, new tools are offered to the engineering community to highlight the possible issues that may appear in isolation units beyond the design basis earthquake level to improve the accuracy of response prediction. This paper aims to overview the characteristics of frequently used isolation systems in the industry with mathematical models, design criteria toward sustainable communities, the current state of practice along with the set forth design requirements of selectively well-known standards with special emphasis to the ELF procedure from the perspective of performance-based design philosophy. Additionally, two large-scale seismic isolation applications in the world are given as benchmark studies for the new construction and upgrading scheme in the content of the study.

THE DESIGN OF INTER-STORY ISOLATED BUILDINGS BUILT ON TOP OF METRO DEPOTS

Inter-story isolation is an effective method to improve the seismic performance of buildings built on top of metro depots (i.e., large chassis). To identify the factors controlling the critical design indexes and guide the detailed design, 12 study cases were designed based on a real engineering project, which includes two inter-story isolated towers built on top of a metro depot. Among these cases, three schemes and four schemes were considered for the tower and isolation system, respectively. Based on a refined model, the influence of the stiffness ratio between the tower, the isolation system and the large chassis and the yield ratio of the isolation system on nine critical design indexes were analyzed. The design indexes include the horizontal seismic absorbing coefficient (β) under the design basis earthquake, maximum inter-story drift ratio (θmax) and maximum absolute floor acceleration (amax) under the maximum considered earthquake of towers and chassis, maximum displacement of isolation system (Dmax), maximum and minimum compressive stresses of the isolator under the maximum considered earthquake. Subsequently, the factors controlling each index were identified. For the tower, the stiffness and yield ratio of the isolation system are the controlling factors for the β and amax. The decrease of these two factors can achieve a good control effect, while the increase of the stiffness of the tower can control β and amax to a certain extent. The increase of the stiffness of the tower and the decease of the stiffness and the yield ratio can control θmax to a certain extent, but such a control effect tends to stabilize when these two factors reach a certain extent. For the chassis, the schemes of the tower and isolation system has little impact on the design indexes. For the isolation system, the controlling factors for Dmax are the stiffness and yield ratio of the isolation system. The decrease of these factors leads to a significant increase of Dmax. The stiffness of the tower is the controlling factor for the maximum compressive stress of the isolators because the gravity increases with the stiffness. The increase of the stiffness of the tower and the decrease of the stiffness of the isolation system can significantly control the tensile stress of the isolators, and the control effect caused by the increase of the stiffness of two is more significant. The results provide a reference for the seismic performance control and design of inter-story isolated buildings built on top of metro depots.

Response modification factors for dual moment-resisting frames with vertical links: Multilevel approach

Despite the growing applications of the performance-based design concepts for seismic design of structures, the response modification factors for structural systems proposed by the current design codes and standards do not generally consider different hazard and performance levels. Therefore, these factors are not directly applicable for performance-based design purposes. As a step to address this shortcoming, the present study aims to propose multilevel response modification factors for multistory dual moment-resisting frames equipped with eccentric braces and vertical links corresponding to different seismicity levels and performance targets. The concept of demand and capacity response modification factors is introduced, and these parameters are calculated for moment-resisting frame structures with 3-, 5-, and 7-stories before and after the addition of vertical steel shear links. It is shown that the calculated capacity response modification factors for the dual frames equipped with vertical links are generally higher than the demand response modification factors proposed by the design code for such systems under the design basis earthquake hazard level. This indicates the efficiency of the eccentric braces with the vertical links in improving the seismic reliability and performance of the moment-resisting steel frames. Based on the results of this study, the demand response modification factor for the studied dual lateral load-resisting system is calculated to be in the range of 7–10.

Shaking Table Tests of Lead Inserted Small-Sized Laminated Rubber Bearing for Nuclear Component Seismic Isolation

To assure seismic isolation performance against design and beyond design basis earthquakes in the nuclear facility components, the lead inserted small-sized laminated rubber bearings (LRB), which has a 10 kN vertical design load, have been designed and quasi-statically tested to validate their design mechanical properties in previous studies. Following this study, the seismic shaking tests of these full-scale LRBs are performed and discussed in this paper with the dummy mass system to investigate actual seismic isolation performance, dynamic characteristics of LRBs, consistency of the LRB’s quality, and so on. To study the seismic isolation performance, three beam structures (S1–S3) with different natural frequencies were installed both on the shaking table and the dummy mass supported by four LRBs: (1) S1: structure close to seismic isolation frequency; (2) S2: structure close to peak input spectral frequency; (3) S3: structure in the high-frequency region. The test results are described in various seismic levels of OBE (Operating Basis Earthquake), SSE (Safe Shutdown Earthquake), and BDBE (Beyond Design Basis Earthquake), and are compared with the analysis results to assure the seismic isolation performance and the LRB’s design parameters. From the results of the shaking table tests, it is confirmed that the lead inserted small-sized LRBs reveal an adequate seismic isolation performance and their dynamic characteristics as intended in the LRB design.

Seismic performance assessment of novel self-centering friction-based eccentrically braced frames

Eccentrically braced frame (EBF) is a robust seismic force resisting system. EBF provides strong stiffness and clear energy dissipation to resist the earthquake shaking. However, after strong earthquake shaking EBF may be difficult or too expensive to repair. This could result in prolong down time and significant repair costs. In this paper, a novel energy dissipation device named self-centering conical friction damper (SCFD) is implemented within EBFs to dissipate the earthquake energy and to reduce the residual drift of EBF. The new system is named self-centering friction-based EBF (SCFB-EBF). The performance of the SCFB-EBF is compared with conventional EBF. Three prototype buildings with 3-, 6-, and 9-stories were designed using conventional EBF according to the AISC341-16/ASCE7-16 specifications and SCFB-EBF by replaced the links of the EBF with SCFD. The prototypes were subjected to a suit of 44 ground motions at both the design based earthquake (DBE) and maximum considered earthquake (MCE) shaking intensities according to the FEMAP695 procedure. Detailed nonlinear time history analyses were carried out using OpenSees. The results of the nonlinear time history show that SCFB-EBF has superior performance compared to the conventional EBF. In addition, the residual drifts of the SCFB-EBF were reduced significantly compared to the conventional EBF. Performance-based earthquake engineering (PBEE) assessment was also conducted to examine the performance of the prototype buildings. The results show that SCFB-EBF has lower repair cost at both DBE and MCE levels. Hence, the study shows that the SCFB-EBF can be used as an efficient alternative compared to seismic force resisting system.

Numerical Simulation Analysis of Seismic Fragility of Vertical Floating-roof Storage Tanks

To study seismic response of tank, 10 × 104m3 vertical floating-roof tank model is established. The probability relationship between the intensity measure and engineering demand parameters is established based on extensive nonlinear dynamic time-history analysis. Four failure modes of tank were determined, and seismic fragility curve of under each failure mode was obtained. The results show that under frequent earthquake, the exceeding probability of circumferential tensile damage, and instability of tank wall in intact state were 40% and uplift of the bottom sheet was 75%. Under design-based earthquake and rare earthquake, circumferential tensile damage was in intact state, and the exceeding probability of instability were 66.9% in medium damage and 52.9% in severe damage. The exceeding probability of bottom uplift in severe damage is 90%. The method takes the randomness of ground motion into account, which can provide an effective idea for the evaluation of the seismic safety of tank structure.

Experimental investigation and seismic response behavior of a self-centering precast concrete frame with hysteretic dampers

A new type of self-centering precast concrete (SCPC) frame with hysteretic dampers is developed to obtain sufficient self-recovering and energy consumption characteristics. The working principle of a novel connection is presented, and seven cyclic loading tests with different parameters on three full-sized novel beam-column joints are investigated. Adequate seismic performances were experimentally observed in cyclic loading tests. Numerical simulation of the novel connection was performed using the OpenSees software. The elaborate simulation results and test results were well matched, such as the hysteretic behaviors, prestressed tendons forces, energy consumption and self-recovering characteristics. Furthermore, a prototype structure was modeled, and the elastoplastic dynamic responses at the design-basis earthquake (DBE) and the maximum considered earthquake (MCE) levels were studied. The results showed that the peak and residual interstory drifts (θmax and θr,max) achieved desirable demands. The post-tensioned strands avoided excessive yielding at the MCE level, and the novel frame had an adequate energy consumption behavior. In addition, incremental dynamic analysis and vulnerability analysis were performed. The 50-year exceedance probabilities of the Immediate occupancy (IO) and Repairable (RE) limit states taking θmax and θr,max as the evaluation indicators were also calculated, respectively. The results demonstrate that the novel frame has adequate seismic performance, greater reliability and less damage potential than the traditional self-centering precast concrete (SCPC) frame without energy dissipation devices.

Seismic design of self-centering viscous-hysteretic devices used for steel moment-resisting frames

A force-based design (FBD) approach is proposed for steel moment-resisting frames (MRFs) with self-centering viscous-hysteretic devices (SC-VHDs) and numerical analysis is conducted on steel MRFs with SC-VHDs designed by the proposed FBD approach. The results indicate that all of these frames satisfy the peak and residual drift criteria under the design basis earthquake (DBE) and the column-to-beam strength ratio should be equal to or more than 1.8 for frames below 8 stories, whilst for frames with 8 stories or more the column-to-beam strength ratio should be equal to or greater than 1.5 to achieve the strong column-weak beam mechanism. Considering the effects of the column-to-beam strength ratio, the seismic intensity, the structural geometric characteristics, and the parameters of the SC-VHD, inelastic displacement profiles of steel MRFs with SC-VHDs are developed. Based on the proposed displacement profiles, a direct displacement-based design (DDBD) approach is proposed for steel MRFs with SC-VHDs, and the effectiveness of both the proposed DDBD approach and the displacement profiles are verified by conducting numerical analysis on steel MRFs with SC-VHDs designed by the proposed DDBD approach.

Concrete lining work analysis of mountain railway tunnels in geodynamical active regions

Concrete lining work analysis of mountain railway tunnels in geodynamical active regions. Railway tunnel concrete lining stress-strain state located in a geodynamical active mountainous region were discussed in this article. The study aims to assess the external factors influence, such as gravitational and seismic effects, on concrete lining deformation and cracking. The concrete lining work analysis was performed on the Severomuisk railway tunnel section example. The tunnel is located in different soil conditions and has a variety of supporting structures; the work analysis was performed for a site located in weakly fractured granite rocks. To assign the seismic impact level, the adjacent to the tunnel area seismic setting was calculated based on historical data and the area seismic monitoring. It has been established that the occurrence of earthquakes with a magnitude of 7–8 on the MSK-64 scale is expected every 10 years on average, the obe level with a recurrence period of 1 time in 50 years corresponds to an 8.7 points intensity. The tunnel structures’ stress-strain state calculation was performed by the finite element method in the GTS NX program. The analysis takes into account the main tunnel design features, drainage and transport adits, and cross slit. The calculations were performed in a linear-elastic formulation for the main tunnel concrete structures, the cross slit, and the adit’s cast-iron structures. The soil mass is modeled by materials according to the Hawke-Brown strength criterion (Hoek E.; Brown E.T.). It has been established that with an isotropic structure of the enclosing rock mass, tunnel structures resist well the destructive strong earthquakes impact. Crack formation in concrete lining only occurs in the event of a strong design-basis earthquake. At the same time, the various niches presence, cross slit, and other load-carrying structure complex geometry leads to the stress concentrations appearance and, as a consequence, cracks in concrete at lower seismic effects. Crack distribution patterns are consistent with field survey data.

Seismic performance assessment of tunnel form concrete structures under earthquake sequences using endurance time analysis

A low-computational cost method is developed for seismic performance assessment of tunnel-form concrete structures under earthquake sequences. Using incremental dynamic analysis (IDA), a structure already damaged under a code spectrum-compatible mainshock is subjected to a set of aftershock events. The seismic reliability of the structure under successive earthquakes is then evaluated by comparing the fragility curves of the intact and the damaged structures. To achieve this, the newly developed endurance time approach is used to obtain the residual capacity of the structures to withstand aftershocks. The efficiency of the proposed method is demonstrated by using 5 and 10-storey 3D tunnel-form concrete structures as case study examples. It is shown that using endurance time method for seismic performance evaluation under mainshock-aftershock sequences generally leads to accurate results (less than 15% error), while it can significantly reduce (up to 90%) the computational costs of the conventional IDA method. The results also indicate that the application of the code design basis earthquake as the mainshock has no significant effect on the seismic performance of the tunnel form concrete structures under aftershocks, especially for the shorter systems. This highlights the excellent seismic resistance of tunnel-form structures under earthquake sequences.

Low-rise steel moment-resisting frames with novel re-centering beam-to-column connections: connection modelling and system performance evaluation

This research focused on a new type of re-centering beam-to-column connection for use in low-rise steel moment-resisting frames (MRFs). A new material model was first developed and validated to accurately, conveniently, and efficiently simulate the nonlinear behavior of the critical components of the connection. To demonstrate its potential, a representative low-rise MRF previously investigated was revisited and re-designed with the considered re-centering connection. Specifically, the re-centering beam-to-column connections in the re-designed system are controlled to have the same flexural resistances as the corresponding ones in the original system under the connection rotation angle of 0.025 rad. Computer simulations were conducted to compare different aspects the original and re-designed systems under the design basis earthquake level excitations. It was found that the re-designed system is overall superior to the original one based on a comprehensive performance measure established in this research that considers the peak transient and residual inter-story drift angles as well as the peak base shear demand. Moreover, compared with the original system, the re-designed system was found to have similar seismic demands on the acceleration-sensitive or velocity-sensitive nonstructural components but larger seismic demands on the displacement-sensitive nonstructural components. Accordingly, the displacement-sensitive nonstructural components should be designed with caution in the low-rise MRF with the re-centering beam-to-column connections.

Performance-based seismic design of multi-story CBFs equipped with SMA-friction damping braces

This paper focuses on the performance-based seismic design (PBSD) methodology of multi-story concentrically braced frames (CBFs) equipped with a novel brace, i.e., the shape memory alloy (SMA)-friction damping brace (SMAFDB). The fundamental response characteristics of the framing structure are first understood through nonlinear response history analysis on the equivalent single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) systems. The parameters varied in the SDOF analyses are the period of vibration (T), the strength reduction factor (R), and the normalized friction slip displacement (μf). The seismic response indexes of interest are the peak displacement, the ductility, the residual displacement and the peak acceleration. Relationships are built between the seismic response indexes and parameters of T, R and μf. Then, the SDOF-based results are explored to develop the PBSD methodology, which defines the peak interstory drift, the peak floor acceleration and the residual interstory drift as the performance targets. To demonstrate and validate the proposed design methodology, the six-story prototype CBFs equipped with SMAFDBs are designed and then subjected to ground motions associated with hazard levels of design basis earthquakes (DBE) and maximum considered earthquakes (MCE). The performance evaluation results indicate that the frames can be effectively designed to meet the targeted performance objectives at the DBE level. It also indicates that the frames maintain seismic-resisting capacity at the MCE level.

Seismic fragility of steel special truss moment frames with multiple ductile vierendeel panels

Special truss moment frames (STMFs) are used as the lateral force-resisting systems in buildings. Under seismic loading, the hysteretic energy dissipation in STMFs mostly occurs through the flexural plastic hinges developed in the special segments only. This study presents the seismic fragility assessment of low to high-rise STMFs with ductile Vierendeel panels as the special segments. Four building frames (i.e., 3-, 6-, 9-, and 15-story) with three different configurations of special segments in STMFs have been considered as the study frames. Nonlinear incremental dynamic analyses of the study frames have been carried out using computer software PERFORM-3D using forty-four ground motion records. The probability of exceeding the drift levels corresponding to three performance levels, viz., immediate occupancy (IO), life safety (LS), and collapse prevention (CP) of the study frames have been investigated under the design-basis earthquake and maximum considered earthquake hazard levels. The presence of intermediate vertical members in the Vierendeel panels resulted in the gradual loss in the post-peak lateral strengths of STMFs. The use of multiple Vierendeel panels significantly reduced the probability of failure of low-rise (namely, 3- and 6-story) STMFs. However, STMFs with single Vierendeel panels are found to be beneficial in 9- and 15-story building frames. The inter-story drift limits have been proposed for the performance levels of IO, LS, and CP of STMFs.