Parametric Analysis and Direct Displacement-Based Design Method of Self-Centering Energy-Dissipative Steel-Braced Frames

The self-centering energy-dissipative (SCED) brace is a novel bracing element that can substantially reduce the residual deformation and enhance the reparability of structures. In this paper, nonlinear dynamic analyses have been conducted on a 4- and a 12-story steel-braced frame with SCED braces to study the effect of four important design parameters on the seismic performance of the SCED frames and recommendations are given for selection of the parameters. The parameters considered include the response modification coefficient [Formula: see text], the stiffness ratio of the brace [Formula: see text], the strength ratio of the brace [Formula: see text], and the fuse activation story drift [Formula: see text]. The relationship between the residual story drift and the peak story drift of the SCED frames is obtained based on these statistics. Finally, based on the equivalent linearization theory, a direct displacement-based design method applicable to the SCED frames, regarding both the peak story drift and residual story drift as the design objectives, is proposed.