Innovative Steel Braced Frame Systems for Enhanced Seismic Performance

钢支撑框架是最常用的结构体系之一，用于抵抗风和地震作用于建筑结构的侧向荷载。该系统在弹性范围内响应时非常有效，如在风和小地震下的情况。然而，该系统已被证明在强震下表现出较差的性能，例如大的塑性变形和显著的永久变形。更高的抗震设计荷载、严格的高度限制和其他要求已在规范中实施，以实现对公众的最低安全。这些都增加了建筑成本，限制了该系统的应用范围，建筑物所有者可能面临长时间的停工期以及重大地震事件后的重大维修/重建费用，这将给加拿大经济造成重大损失。

Steel braced frames are among the most popular structural systems used to resist wind and earthquake lateral loads imposed to building structures. The system is very effective when responding in the elastic range as is the case under wind and small earthquakes. However, the system has been shown to exhibit poor performance under strong earthquakes such as large plastic deformations and significant permanent deformations. Higher seismic design loads, stringent height limits and other requirements have been implemented in codes to achieve minimum safety to the public. These have increased construction costs and limited the range of application of the system and building owners are likely to face long downtime periods as well as major repair/reconstruction costs after a major seismic event, which will result in major losses for the Canadian economy.