• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.639-654
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• 2018

Rocking motion have been used for achieving the 'resilient buildings' against earthquakes in recent studies. Low-rise buildings, unlike the tall ones, because of their small aspect ratio tend to slide rather than move in rocking mode. However, since rocking is more effective in seismic response reduction than sliding, it is desired to create rocking motion in low-rise buildings too. One way for this purpose is making the building's structure rock on its internal bay(s) by reducing the number of bays at the lower part of the building's skeleton, giving it a mushroom form. In this study 'mushroom skeleton' has been used for creating multi-story rocking regular steel buildings with square plan to rock on its one-by-one bay central lowest story. To show if this idea is effective, a set of mushroom buildings have been considered, and their seismic responses have been compared with those of their conventional counterparts, designed based on a conventional code. Also, a set of similar buildings with skeleton stronger than code requirement, to have immediate occupancy (IO) performance level, have been considered for comparison. Seismic responses, obtained by nonlinear time history analyses, using scaled three-dimensional accelerograms of selected earthquakes, show that by using appropriate 'mushroom skeleton' the seismic performance of buildings is upgraded to mostly IO level, while all of the conventional buildings experience collapse prevention (CP) level or beyond. The strong-skeleton buildings mostly present IO performance level as well, however, their base shear and absolute acceleration responses are much higher than the mushroom buildings.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.91 no.5
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• pp.487-502
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• 2024

This study introduces a novel 'multi-mushroom' structural system designed to improve seismic performance in lowrise buildings. Traditional low-rise structures tend to favor sliding over rocking due to their smaller aspect ratios despite the rocking system's superior seismic response reduction. Rocking designs allow structures to pivot at their base during seismic events, reducing damage by dissipating energy. The proposed multi-mushroom system divides the building into four equal sections with small gaps in between, each capable of independent rocking. Numerical analyses are conducted using scaled earthquake records from far- and near-source events to evaluate this system's performance. The results indicated that the multimushroom system significantly reduces plastic hinge formation compared to conventional designs. The system also demonstrated enhanced beam performance and a robust base girder, contributing to reduced collapse vulnerability. The 3-story model exhibited the most favorable behavior, effectively mitigating peak roof drift values, where the rocking system achieved a 21% reduction in mean roof displacement for near-field records and 15% for far-field records. However, the 5-story configuration showed increased roof displacement, and the 7-story model recorded higher incidences of collapse prevention (CP) hinges, indicating areas for further optimization. Overall, the multi-mushroom system enhances seismic resilience by minimizing plastic hinge formation and improving structural integrity. While the system shows significant promise for low-rise buildings, challenges related to roof displacement and inter-story drift ratio in taller structures necessitate further research. These findings suggest that the multi-mushroom system offers a viable solution for seismic risk reduction, contributing to safer and more sustainable urban development in earthquake-prone areas.