Journal of Structural and Construction Engineering

Journal of Structural and Construction Engineering

Introducing A Multi-Performance Repairable Brace

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Jamal Mahmoudi 1
Abdolreza Sarvghad Moghadam 2
Behrokh Hosseini Hashemi 2
1 PhD Student, Structural Engineering Faculty, International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology, Tehran. Iran
2 Associate Professor, International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology, Tehran, Iran
10.22065/jsce.2025.543452.3808
Abstract
A review of recently occurring earthquakes demonstrates that structures designed according to modern building codes, while successfully minimizing human casualties, frequently sustain severe damage. This damage often renders the structures unusable and necessitates their complete demolition. Consequently, these events impose heavy financial costs and significant social burdens on the earthquake-affected regions. This underscores the critical necessity for a new design philosophy. This modern approach must ensure that buildings guarantee life safety during a major seismic event while also being designed for repairability in the aftermath, allowing for a swift return to functionality. In response to this identified need, the present research introduces a novel bracing system engineered specifically to be repairable. Furthermore, to address the essential dual requirements of adequate ductility and stiffness commensurate with seismic demands, several distinct performance levels are defined for the proposed repairable brace. The system is meticulously configured so that its stiffness and energy dissipation capacity increase progressively in response to rising seismic demands. To thoroughly investigate the performance of the proposed multi-level repairable brace, a detailed finite element model was developed and analyzed. To validate the accuracy of the finite element modeling techniques, two laboratory specimens with configurations closely resembling the proposed system were selected from the technical literature. Finite element models of these specimens were created, and their results were rigorously compared against the existing experimental data. This comparison revealed a very high degree of modeling accuracy in capturing the specimens' seismic behavior. After confirming the high precision of the finite element model parameters, nonlinear seismic analyses were performed on the model of the proposed system. These analyses conclusively proved the system's high energy dissipation capacity, its inherent repairability, and its effective multi-level performance under seismic loading.
Keywords
Repairable Bracing System
Multi-Level Performance
Dual Performance
Energy Dissipation
Finite Element Modeling
Seismic Resilience
Staged Activation
Seismic-Resilient Structure

Subjects

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  • Receive Date 31 August 2025
  • Revise Date 03 November 2025
  • Accept Date 12 November 2025