Computational Investigation on the Seismic Performance of Self-Centering Tension-Only Braced Frames

The self-centering tension-only brace (SC-TOB) is a new type of flexible bracing system that provides both energy dissipation and re-centering capacities to the structure. In this paper, a computational investigation on the seismic performance of steel frames with SC-TOBs is conducted. Two main parameters, including the stiffness degradation factor and the activation strain of the SC-TOB, are investigated through pushover analysis. The results indicate that increasing the stiffness degradation factor leads to a larger second stiffness of the SC-TOB frames (SC-TOBFs), which is beneficial to make the distribution of drifts more uniform over the building height; the activation strain has a significant impact on the activation deformation of SC-TOBFs, but a slight effect on the distribution of drifts. The SC-TOBFs is deemed as a type of performance-tunable structure, which can be achieved by varying a frame's adjustable design parameters. (paper)