Diagonal bracing of steel frames with multi-cable arrangements

A large number of structure in the world were build with poor seismic details, with or without any lateral load resisting system like concentrically braced frames and steel plate shear walls. These structures can reveal deteriorating hysteretic behaviors with stiffness and strength degradation. Therefore, seismic retrofitting of such structures for drift control has vital importance. In this study a retrofit methodology has been developed, which involves diagonal bracing of steel frames with different cable arrangements. In the experimental and numerical program 5 different lateral load resisting system were tested and results compared with each other. The results indicated that multi-cable arrangements suggested in this study showed stable ductile behavior without any sudden decrease in strength. Due to the usage of more than one diagonal cable, fracture of any cable did not significantly affect the overall strength and deformation capacity of the system. In cable braced systems damages concentrated in the boundary zones of the cables and beams. That is why boundary zone must have enough stiffness and strength to resist tension field action of cables.