Appraisal of seismic design methodologies for suspended non-structural elements in Europe

The importance of non-structural elements on the seismic performance of buildings is now widely recognized. A building cannot achieve a life-safety or continuous functionality performance after an earthquake if all its non-structural elements are damaged and/or out of function. Suspended non-structural elements, such as piping and mechanical services, play a crucial role in maintaining life-safety and functionality of a building after an earthquake. The importance of non-structural elements for the seismic performance of buildings have prompted the development of both force-based and displacement-based seismic design methodologies that can be applied to suspended non-structural elements. This paper focuses on appraising force-based and displacement-based seismic design methodologies available in Europe for suspended non-structural elements by comparing fragility functions for a case-study suspended piping trapeze restraint installation layout located in a mid-to-high seismic zone in Italy. The aim of this study is to determine if the seismic design methodologies available for suspended non-structural elements are capable of producing archetypes that achieve a life-safety performance objective for a design level earthquake (return period of 475 years) and maintain a reasonable performance, in terms of life-safety, for other earthquake intensity levels. Advantages and disadvantages of these methodologies are also highlighted.