Seismic Behavior and Design of Precast-Concrete Buckling-Restrained Braces and Frames

This dissertation describes a numerical evaluation on the seismic behavior and design of precast concrete buckling-restrained braced frames and a numerical and experimental evaluation of a novel reinforced-concrete buckling-restrained brace component for use in precast concrete construction. The following research topics are addressed:

1. Investigation of seismic design performance factors for precast concrete building frames with traditional commercial steel buckling-restrained braces. This is done through the numerical analysis of 32 archetype multi-story frames based on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Quantification of Building Seismic Performance Factors (FEMA P695) methodology.
2. Investigation of a novel precast-concrete buckling-restrained brace component as a potential alternative to currently available traditional commercial steel buckling-restrained braces. This is done by developing a methodology for the design of this brace and identifying its behavior and potential failure modes through nonlinear numerical analysis.
3. Quantification of the necessary design and validation requirements for the novel brace when used in multi-story precast concrete frame structures. This is done by determining the maximum brace demands, such as ductility and stiffness, for a set of 26 archetype frames to meet the target system seismic performance factors from FEMA P695.
4. Experimental investigation of the novel brace. This is done by design, analysis, and laboratory testing of four isolated diagonal brace specimens under reversed-cyclic lateral loading.

The intent of this research is to provide foundational background on the feasibility of precast concrete buckling-restrained braced frames for use in seismic regions, also introducing and investigating a possible brace alternative that may be better suited for the unique construction methodologies of precast concrete.