Cost - benefit analysis of steel braced frames with infill panels using seismic damage fragility curves

Structural costs include constructional costs plus all the costs related to damaging from earthquake reconstruction and maintenance of the structure in its useful life. A questionmay arise that if the primary constructional cost would be less, the plan will be economical or not? In the case of positive answer, engineers tend to select the lowerperformance level. In this paper, a comprehensive comparison has been conducted betweenthe primary cost of construction and reconstruction due to the seismic damages in the useful life of structure. A structural design criterion was developed to support properfunctioning of the building and reduce earthquake damages. Incremental dynamic analysis was carried out and the performance levels were assessed using the cost benefit analysis method. Results show that selection of a higher performance level has moreeconomic justification; and the immediate occupancy (IO) is the most economical performance level for these types of structure.

Keywords:

cost-benefit analysis , infilled frame , performace based design , fgility curves