Seismic responses of reinforced concrete frames with buckling restrained braces in zigzag configuration

A new buckling restrained braced frame system was proposed in a previous study for reinforced concrete frames, which was featured by the zigzag configuration of buckling restrained braces to ease the steel-to-concrete connection. Experimental tests were conducted to establish realistic numerical models of the brace connections in the proposed system. With these numerical models, a nonlinear dynamic analysis of a prototype building was conducted to investigate the seismic behavior of the new braced frame system. The results indicate that the buckling restrained braces in the new system are efficient in reducing the responses of the building, even if the nonlinearity of the brace connection is considered. Furthermore, the strength demands for the brace connections are significantly influenced by higher modes of the system after the braces yield.