Funding agency: National Research and Development Agency (ANID)

Grant: FONDECYT Regular 1240503 (2025-2029)

Principal Investigator: Gerardo Araya-Letelier

Co-Principal Investigators: Rodrigo Astroza, Diego López-García

Chilean code-conforming RC buildings have demonstrated outstanding seismic performance, with very low collapse rates, economic losses, and downtime, largely attributed to stringent design drift limits. However, applying the same drift requirements to steel special moment-resisting frames (SSMRFs) has resulted in stiff and costly structures, limiting their use in Chile. This project investigates the influence of drift limits and column-base connection detailing on the life-cycle cost and resilience of SSMRFs in Chile and California using Performance-Based Earthquake Engineering (PBEE). The study combines full-scale experimental testing, finite-element modeling, seismic performance assessments, and economic analyses to propose more efficient and resilient steel-frame design requirements.