Giuliani, Giulia;
Gutiérrez-Urzúa, Fernando;
Gentile, Roberto;
Freddi, Fabio;
(2025)
Comparative life-cycle cost analysis of existing steel frames retrofitted with different buckling-restrained brace designs.
In:
Proceedings of the 10th ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Computational Methods in Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering 2025.
COMPDYN: Rhodes Island, Greece.
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Abstract
Most existing buildings were constructed before the implementation of modern seismic design codes and their design often lacks considerations for lateral resistance. These structures are often unable to withstand seismic events, posing a significant risk to public safety and leading to considerable direct (e.g., casualties, repair costs) and indirect (e.g., downtime) losses as a consequence of ‘rare’ (i.e., high-intensity) seismic events. In this context, there is a significant need for effective retrofitting methods and decision-making strategies to enhance the seismic performance of these structures. However, designing such upgrades requires careful consideration of the trade-off between their cost and the associated economic benefits. This study provides a methodology to design optimal retrofit solutions for existing (i.e., non-seismically designed) steel Moment-Resisting Frames (MRFs) using Buckling Restrained Braces (BRBs). This is achieved by examining various BRB designs through life-cycle cost analysis, which includes the costs associated with retrofitting and potential structural and non-structural repairs following a seismic event. The optimal retrofit allows balancing the reduction of seismic risk with the long-term economic benefits, and it is selected considering various key metrics, including Life-Cycle Cost (LCC), Benefit-to-Cost Ratio (BCR) and Return on Investment (ROI). The results demonstrate that using BRBs as a retrofit strategy effectively minimises structural and non-structural damage, leading to significant reductions in LCC. Furthermore, the most costeffective BRB design is identified among the proposed solutions.
| Type: | Proceedings paper |
|---|---|
| Title: | Comparative life-cycle cost analysis of existing steel frames retrofitted with different buckling-restrained brace designs |
| Event: | COMPDYN 2025 10th ECCOMAS Thematic Conference on Computational Methods in Structural Dynamics and Earthquake Engineering |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| Publisher version: | https://2025.compdyn.org/ |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This version is the author accepted manuscript. For information on re-use, please refer to the publisher's terms and conditions. |
| Keywords: | Seismic Retrofit, Buckling Restrained Braces, Life-Cycle Cost Analysis, Structural Resilience. |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Maths and Physical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Civil, Environ and Geomatic Eng |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10207005 |
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