Pushover analysis of base-isolated steel–concrete composite structures under near-fault excitations

In the present study, the seismic behavior of steel–concrete composite structures isolated by base-isolation devices under near-fault earthquake excitations is numerically investigated. The seismic analysis is performed by means of the static non-linear (pushover) analysis procedure conducted on two five-storey three-dimensional (3-D) buildings with steel columns and steel–concrete composite slabs and beams. The present 3-D building examples are assumed to be located at a near-fault area in order to take into account the effect of strong ground motion on the isolation devices. The results of this study allowed the verification of the adequacy of the attachment isolation system as well as the comparison of the behavior of the seismic-protected building with or without bracings to the unprotected buildings with or without bracings, showing the benefits of the application of the isolation devices, the limitations and the characteristics of their performance.