Implications of design philosophies for seismic response of steel moment frames

Abstract During a severe earthquake, steel moment resisting frames are expected to experience significant inelastic deformation in their members and joints. This behaviour is dependent upon several design parameters such as member sizes, frame's overstrength, member deformation capacities and the detailing of components. In this study, the influence of such aspects on the inelastic response of frames is investigated. Inelastic static and dynamic analyses were performed on four frames of different designs for a typical six‐storey building. The frames were designed and detailed in accordance with current North American code requirements. The computed response of each frame was compared with the behaviour expected by the codes. Recommendations for a design procedure are suggested for improving the structural performance of low‐rise steel frames subjected to strong earthquake excitation.