Performance of steel buildings and nonstructural elements during the 27 February 2010 Maule (Chile) Earthquake1

This paper presents performance of steel buildings and nonstructural elements during the 27 February 2010 Maule Earthquake in Chile. Structural steel buildings are not common in Chile, due to the relatively high cost of material. The majority of damage to steel structures was observed in industrial facilities. In general, the structural steel buildings performed well. Limited damage was observed in some of the older buildings. Extensive damage …