Integration of peak seismic floor velocities and accelerations into the performance-based design of steel structures

This paper elaborates towards the homogenization of the seismic behavior between the structural and nonstructural components of steel structures in the framework of performance-based seismic design. In particular, for the seismic performance level that the steel structure is set to satisfy, simple expressions that relate peak seismic floor velocity and acceleration with their corresponding peak ground counterparts are provided. These expressions are functions of the number of stories and are derived by non-linear regression analyses of the peak seismic floor velocity and acceleration data derived by non-linear time-history analyses of various steel structures subjected either to far-fault, or to near-fault seismic motions. Numerical examples are presented in order to demonstrate the efficiency and range of applicability of the proposed expressions. It is concluded that by means of the proposed expressions, the seismic performance of a class of acceleration-or velocity-susceptible nonstructural components in steel structures is expected to be in line with that of the structural components.