Energy demands for seismic design against low-cycle fatigue

Abstract

A seismic design procedure that does not take into account the maximum and cumulative plastic deformation demands that a structure is likely to undergo during severe ground motion could lead to unsatisfactory performance. In spite of this, current design procedures do not take into account explicitly the effect of low-cycle fatigue. Based on the high correlation that exists between the strength reduction factor and the energy demand in earthquake-resistant structures, simple procedures can be formulated to estimate the cumulative plastic deformation demands for design purposes. Several issues should be addressed during the use of plastic energy within a practical performance-based seismic design methodology. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.