The Comparison of Fragility Curves of Moment-Resisting and Braced Frames Used in Steel Structures Under Varying Wind Load

Abstract

In this study, the performance of two different steel structure types (moment-resisting frame and braced frame) under wind loading was compared by addressing the fragility curves of these structure types. To perform this comparison, the dimensions of the members of these structural systems were first determined. Then, nonlinear static pushover analyses were conducted to assess the performance levels of each frame type. After applying these analyses, time-history analyses were performed with 100 different wind loads for each varying equivalent mean wind speed. Afterwards, the probability of exceeding the predetermined structural performance limits of the structure types was determined using Monte Carlo simulation method. Finally, the results of the simulation method were used to adapt the maximum likelihood estimation method to obtain the fragility curves of the structures. To conclude, it has been revealed that the material cost of the structure doubles when diagonal elements are used, but the wind speed required for a 100% collapse probability to occur in the braced frame is twice as high compared to the moment-resisting frame.