Seismic Performance and Design of the Fully Assembled Precast Concrete Frame with Buckling-Restrained Braces

Although precast concrete structures have been widely used in building engineering, their application in moderate- and high-seismic zones is restricted because of poor lateral performance. This study proposed a fully assembled precast concrete frame with buckling-restrained braces (PCF-BRB) to simplify construction and enhance seismic performance. A nonlinear finite element model of the PCF-BRB was established using ETABS to investigate the feasibility of its use in seismic regions. The accuracy and rationality of the analysis model were verified by existing experimental data. Furthermore, the seismic performance, including plastic hinge development, internal force distribution, maximum inter-story drift, and energy dissipation, of the PCF-BRB was evaluated through static pushover analysis and dynamic time history analysis. The analysis results showed that the PCF-BRB has good seismic performance. Finally, this study provided a recommended seismic performance factor for design, namely the stiffness ratio of buckling-restrained braces (BRBs) to the frame (k, defined later) for the PCF-BRB structure. It is recommended that the stiffness ratio range of low-rise PCF-BRB structures should be 1.5 ≤ k ≤ 3.0, and that of high-rise PCF-BRB structures should be 3.0 ≤ k ≤ 4.0.

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