Approximate Quantification of Higher-Mode Effects on Seismic Demands of Buildings

Quantifying the higher-mode effects on the seismic demands of buildings may benefit not only the awareness of characteristics of the seismic responses of buildings, but also the development of rapid/simplified methods for the seismic assessment of buildings. This study proposes an approach that is applicable for quantifying the aforementioned effects, covering the full range of building heights and deformation types. The vehicle used in this proposed approach is the generalized building model, which has been modified from the conventional cantilever beam model. In addition to building height and deformation type, the strength ratio of each vibration mode and the site class of buildings are the parameters considered in this study. The higher-mode effects on floor displacements, inter-story drift ratios, floor accelerations, and base shears with relation to the aforementioned parameters are investigated. Finally, the proposed approach is verified via the investigation of the higher-mode effects of a 20-story exemplar building.