Fragility-Based Analysis of Topologically Optimized Timber Building

Abstract

The assessment of the seismic performance of timber structures and topology optimization are both widely researched topics in recent years. In addition, the new challenges in sustainability have led to increased use of wood in construction, a material considered to have a negative carbon footprint. This research assesses the seismic response of a topologically optimized structure to be located in Concepcion, Chile. The system corresponds to a five-story glulam braced frame, designed following current Chilean standards, with a structural configuration obtained from a topology optimization process using a Soft-kill BESO algorithm implemented in MATLAB. OpenSees was selected for structural analysis. The nonlinear structural behavior was only considered in joints, using the backbone curves introduced in ASCE 41-13. The seismic performance was determined through static pushover analysis, and later the building fragility curves were approximately calculated at the ASCE 41 performance levels from the pushover curve using SPO2FRAG. Finally, recommendations are made for using topology optimization algorithms in the design process of actual buildings.