ABSTRACT
Building codes typically target life-safety performance objectives, with the sole aim to allow building occupants to exit a building after a seismic event. However, recent seismic events such as the 2011 Christchurch earthquake have demonstrated how the time and cost to repair damaged buildings can cripple a city center for months or even years after the earthquake occurs. New types of building structural systems are being considered to specifically target faster recovery times post-disaster, and calculation tools like FEMA P-58 and HB Risk’s Seismic Performance Prediction Program (SP3) help engineers estimate the recovery time and repair cost that a building will require after an earthquake. Structural systems incorporating friction-fuses to replace material yielding have been under development for the last decade with the aim of improving post-earthquake performance of buildings. By using friction to dissipate energy instead of material damage, the time and costs associated with post-disaster repairs can be significantly reduced. These friction fuses could be incorporated as rotational moment frame joints or shear fuses between rocking frames. With the available calculation tools, it is now possible to provide probability-based estimates of recovery performance of these friction-based systems as compared to more conventional system. This paper will summarize a resilience-based analysis of prototypical steel buildings as compared to ones incorporating easily repairable energy-dissipating fuses. The assessments will include considerations of damage to both structural and non-structural components and will demonstrate how considering building designs across their entire life cycle can help improve the conditions of whole communities after a natural disaster.
