Modelling and Seismic Response Analysis of Non-residential Existing Steel Buildings in Italy

Non-residential older buildings usually have a significant role in the economy of a territory, making their seismic response worth of investigation. To this end, archetype steel buildings were selected, with portal frames and stabilizing braces. Non-linear models were developed including brace buckling and fracture, connections, cladding panels. Both static and dynamic analysis were carried out considering three building sites and two performance levels: usability-preventing damage and global collapse. Results show significant effects of the structural choices on the seismic performance, depending largely on the connection characteristics. Especially, the cladding connections largely affected the exceedance of the usability preventing damage level.