Seismic Floor Acceleration Demands for European Steel Frames Designed with Different Damage Limitation Criteria

The European standard for seismic design of structures, Eurocode 8 Part 1 (EC8-1), considers three levels of Inter-storey Drift Ratios (IDRs) for the damage limitation state but does not address Peak Floor Acceleration (PFA) demands. This parameter is critical as damage to certain non-structural components, such as façades, exterior walls, suspended ceilings, and electronic and mechanical equipment, is often related to PFA. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the PFA demands of steel moment-resisting frames while considering the impact of different design criteria. Each frame was designed in accordance with varying damage limitation criteria outlined in EC8-1. The non-linear time history analysis under the effect of fifteen far-field earthquake records was conducted. The results indicate that designing frames with lower IDR limitations does not necessarily reduce PFA demands, however, lower IDR limitations are effective in reducing the drift demands. Consequently, the potential for increased damage to acceleration-sensitive non-structural components rises, leading to a higher likelihood of human and economic losses.