ABSTRACT
In the ultimate design of the building, a certain level of damage is allowed in case of a severe earthquake. However, the occupancy after the event or the reparability is highly demanded.
When the building is devastated by a severe earthquake, the damage and residual performance should be diagnosed appropriately. In case of the steel building, the basis for the diagnosis is the residual story drift and the damage of the nonstructural components such as partitions, except for the obvious structural damage such as the buckling. Occasionally the degree of yielding is estimated from the condition of the steel’s coating. However, the reliability of this method is disputable because it depends on the indirect factors of the structural damage.
