Performance-Based Seismic Design of Nonstructural Building Elements

Performance-based earthquake engineering requires the harmonization of performances between structural and nonstructural elements. This paper discusses the performance-based seismic design of nonstructural elements through a direct displacement-based methodology applicable to nonstructural elements attached to a single location in the supporting structure and for which damage is the result of excessive displacements. The fundamentals of direct displacement-based seismic design are presented along with a description of the modifications required for its application to nonstructural elements. As an example, the direct displacement-based seismic design of a suspended piping restraint installation is presented. The design approach is appraised by nonlinear dynamic time-history analyses.