A comparison of dynamic nonlinear behavior of ordinary and buckling restrained braced frames subjected to strong ground motion

In this paper nonlinear dynamic analyses of 4- to 12-story frames with two types of bracing behavior are performed. In the first series of analyses, the bracing post-buckling behavior is modeled using a Jain-phenomenological model. In this model bracing buckled against compressive loading and yielded when subjected to tensile loading. In the second series, buckling restrained brace frames subjected to strong ground motion have been analyzed using elements with a bilinear behavior. The results in terms of story drifts, story shears, story shear versus drift hysteresis behavior and plastic hinge locations were compared. By comparing the response of the frame with the buckling restrained brace and the ordinary brace, better performance was observed for the buckling restrained braced frames. Copyright (c) 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.