Evaluation of seismic response of buildings using Dynamic Analysis on stick models

A new methodology for the study and evaluation of the seismic response of buildings is presented in this paper. The method involves the use of nonlinear time-history analysis on equivalent multi-degrees of freedom stick models, defined according to the classification given in FEMA440 Report. The steps for implementing the method and obtaining the equivalent model are described in the article. For the validation of the method, the results obtained from the stick models were compared to that obtained by time-history analysis on detailed finite element models of the structures (using the definition of detailed model described in FEMA440). The engineering parameters considered in the comparison are top displacements, interstorey drifts, forces at the floor and base shear. The results of the conducted analyses on the equivalent stick models match satisfactorily, in an excellent way in certain cases, those of the analyses carried out on detailed models. The time-history analyses on the stick models, allowing a considerable saving in terms of both computational effort and time for numerical solution and post-processing of results, could make this kind of analysis more attractive and feasible for a daily design, and comparable in terms of costs with pushover procedures.