Seismic design of low-rise steel frames with buckling-restrained braces

In this study, a direct displacement design procedure for steel frames with buckling-restrained braces (BRBs) is presented. The proposed structure system is composed of a hinge-connected main structure, which is designed to remain elastic under seismic load, and BRBs resisting all lateral loads. At seismic event, the BRBs dissipate dynamic energy through stable hysteretic behavior. A displacement-based seismic design procedure is applied to model structures to check the applicability of the design procedure. Two artificial earthquake records are generated from a design spectrum, and the response spectra constructed based on the earthquake records are utilized in the design process. Time-history analyses are carried out to confirm that the maximum displacements coincide with the target displacements. The results show that the seismic performance of the 3- and 5-story model structures designed in accordance with the proposed method coincide well with the given design objectives.