Enter your email address
Submit
Write your message
Volume 16, Issue 1 (Spring--In Press 2026)
Disaster Prev. Manag. Know. 2026, 16(1): 3-3 |
Back to browse issues page
Download citation:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
BibTeX | RIS | EndNote | Medlars | ProCite | Reference Manager | RefWorks
Send citation to:
Pirizadeh M. Seismic Design Considerations for Acceleration-Sensitive Nonstructural Components in Low- and Mid-Rise Steel Moment Frames in Near Fault Zones. Disaster Prev. Manag. Know. 2026; 16 (1) :3-3
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: (18 Views)
Background and objective: One of the key factors in reducing human and economic losses in earthquake-prone cities is 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 ensure the functionality of non-structural components installed in the building and to prevent their damage, collapse, or detachment.
Method: In this study, the acceleration amplification factor and the resulting inertial forces on nonstructural components are investigated, considering their installation locations along the building height. The combined effects of horizontal and vertical components of two sets of 11 near- and far-fault ground motion records are evaluated on the seismic response of two building types, low-rise (4-story) and mid-rise (8-story) regular steel moment frames on stiff soil sites, using nonlinear time-history analysis. This study considers acceleration-sensitive nonstructural components attached to structural floors or roofs with fundamental periods up to 0.5 seconds, which are affected by diaphragm accelerations. Two subcategories of nonstructural components, suspended ceilings and chiller cooling towers, are examined as case studies using single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) modeling.
Findings: The investigation into the effects of near-fault ground motions on the studied structures shows increases of up to 19% in horizontal inertial forces and up to 10% in vertical inertial forces acting on the center of mass of non-structural components located on different floors, particularly those near the roof. These amplification effects were more pronounced in low-rise buildings compared to mid-rise ones. This could be due to the closer match between the short-period vibration modes of non-structural components, the natural frequency of low-rise buildings, and the frequency content of near-fault ground motion records.
Results: The analysis revealed that the vertical modal period of nonstructural components plays a critical role in their seismic design. For instance, a cooling tower with a vertical period of 0.22 seconds, installed on the studied building roofs, exhibited an average amplification factor nearly two to three times higher than the code-prescribed value.
Method: In this study, the acceleration amplification factor and the resulting inertial forces on nonstructural components are investigated, considering their installation locations along the building height. The combined effects of horizontal and vertical components of two sets of 11 near- and far-fault ground motion records are evaluated on the seismic response of two building types, low-rise (4-story) and mid-rise (8-story) regular steel moment frames on stiff soil sites, using nonlinear time-history analysis. This study considers acceleration-sensitive nonstructural components attached to structural floors or roofs with fundamental periods up to 0.5 seconds, which are affected by diaphragm accelerations. Two subcategories of nonstructural components, suspended ceilings and chiller cooling towers, are examined as case studies using single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) modeling.
Findings: The investigation into the effects of near-fault ground motions on the studied structures shows increases of up to 19% in horizontal inertial forces and up to 10% in vertical inertial forces acting on the center of mass of non-structural components located on different floors, particularly those near the roof. These amplification effects were more pronounced in low-rise buildings compared to mid-rise ones. This could be due to the closer match between the short-period vibration modes of non-structural components, the natural frequency of low-rise buildings, and the frequency content of near-fault ground motion records.
Results: The analysis revealed that the vertical modal period of nonstructural components plays a critical role in their seismic design. For instance, a cooling tower with a vertical period of 0.22 seconds, installed on the studied building roofs, exhibited an average amplification factor nearly two to three times higher than the code-prescribed value.
Keywords: Non-Structural Components, Near-Fault Earthquakes, Acceleration Amplification Factor, Inertial Force.
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2025/04/22 | Accepted: 2025/10/4 | ePublished: 2026/03/30
Received: 2025/04/22 | Accepted: 2025/10/4 | ePublished: 2026/03/30
| Rights and permissions | |
 |
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License. |
Copyright © 2025 The Author(s)" by "authors retain the copyright and full publishing rights"
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-By-NC), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.
Contact Information
