Multilevel seismic demand prediction for acceleration-sensitive non-structural components

Existing methods to predict the seismic demand of non-structural components in current seismic design guidelines do not generally consider the intensity of the design earthquake and the expected performance level of the lateral load bearing system. This limitation is especially important in performance-based design of buildings and industrial facilities in seismic regions. In this study, a novel multilevel approach is proposed to predict the seismic demand of acceleration-sensitive non-structural components using two new parameters obtained based on site seismicity and seismic capacity of the lateral load carrying system. The main advantage of the new method is to take into account the seismic hazard level and the expected performance level of structure in the calculation of the seismic demand of non-structural components. Based on the results of a comprehensive reliability study on 5 and 10-storey steel frame structures, the efficiency of the proposed approach is demonstrated compared to the conventional seismic design methods. The results, in general, indicate that the current standards may provide inaccurate predictions and lead to unsafe design solutions for acceleration-sensitive nonstructural components, especially in the case of higher seismic intensity or medium performance levels. It is shown that the estimated accelerations by NIST and ASCE suggested equations are up to 50% and 80% lower than the minimum demand accelerations calculated for the studied structures, respectively, under the selected design conditions. Based on the results of this study, a simple but efficient design equation is proposed to estimate the maximum acceleration applied to non-structural components for different earthquake intensity levels and performance targets.