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Volume 16, Issue 1 (Spring 2026)
Disaster Prev. Manag. Know. 2026, 16(1): 36-61 |
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Pirizadeh M. Seismic Design Considerations for Acceleration-sensitive Non-structural Components. Disaster Prev. Manag. Know. 2026; 16 (1) :36-61
URL: http://dpmk.ir/article-1-768-en.html
URL: http://dpmk.ir/article-1-768-en.html
Department of Civil Engineering, WT.C., Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
Abstract: (853 Views)
Background and objective One of the key factors in reducing human and economic losses in earthquake-prone cities is ensuring the operability and continuity of service of buildings with critical functions after probable earthquakes. To achieve this, it is essential not only to maintain the proper performance of structural components but also to preserve and guarantee the functionality of non-structural components installed within the building, preventing their damage, collapse, or detachment.
Method This study investigated the acceleration amplification factor and the resulting inertial forces on non-structural components, considering their installation locations along the building height. Two regular steel structures, each with a lateral load-bearing system consisting of a medium-ductility flexural frame at heights of 4 and 8 stories, located on a hard soil site, were subjected to nonlinear time-history analysis. The range of acceleration-sensitive non-structural components included all elements connected to a structural floor or ceiling with a natural period of less than 0.5 seconds, influenced by the acceleration generated in the corresponding diaphragm. Two subcategories of non-structural components—suspended ceilings and chiller cooling towers—were examined as case studies using single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) modeling.
Results By examining the effects of the near-fault zone on the studied structures, increases of up to 19% and up to 10% were observed in the horizontal and vertical inertial forces, respectively, applied to the center of mass of non-structural components located on different floors—especially on floors near the roof. These additive effects were more pronounced in the short-rise structure than in the medium-rise structure, which may be attributed to the closeness of the short period of the non-structural components to the natural frequency of the short-rise structure and the frequency content of the near-fault records.
Conclusion The vertical acceleration magnification factor at the center of mass of non-structural components indicates the necessity of considering the period of the vertical mode of these components in their seismic design. For example, the average magnification factor for one type of cooling tower, with a vertical mode period of 0.22 seconds installed on the roof of the studied structures, approached values between two and three times those required by current regulations.
Method This study investigated the acceleration amplification factor and the resulting inertial forces on non-structural components, considering their installation locations along the building height. Two regular steel structures, each with a lateral load-bearing system consisting of a medium-ductility flexural frame at heights of 4 and 8 stories, located on a hard soil site, were subjected to nonlinear time-history analysis. The range of acceleration-sensitive non-structural components included all elements connected to a structural floor or ceiling with a natural period of less than 0.5 seconds, influenced by the acceleration generated in the corresponding diaphragm. Two subcategories of non-structural components—suspended ceilings and chiller cooling towers—were examined as case studies using single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) modeling.
Results By examining the effects of the near-fault zone on the studied structures, increases of up to 19% and up to 10% were observed in the horizontal and vertical inertial forces, respectively, applied to the center of mass of non-structural components located on different floors—especially on floors near the roof. These additive effects were more pronounced in the short-rise structure than in the medium-rise structure, which may be attributed to the closeness of the short period of the non-structural components to the natural frequency of the short-rise structure and the frequency content of the near-fault records.
Conclusion The vertical acceleration magnification factor at the center of mass of non-structural components indicates the necessity of considering the period of the vertical mode of these components in their seismic design. For example, the average magnification factor for one type of cooling tower, with a vertical mode period of 0.22 seconds installed on the roof of the studied structures, approached values between two and three times those required by current regulations.
Keywords: Non-structural components, Near-fault earthquakes, Acceleration amplification factor, Inertia force
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/04/22 | Accepted: 2025/10/4 | ePublished: 2026/04/1
Received: 2025/04/22 | Accepted: 2025/10/4 | ePublished: 2026/04/1
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