Investigation of Resilience of Eccentrically Braced Frames Equipped with Shape Memory Alloys

Abstract Nowadays, the use of smart materials in structures is a major concern to structural engineers. The act of benefiting from numerous advantages of these materials is the main objective of researches and studies focused on seismic and structural engineering. In the present study, in addition to the development of finite element models of several steel frames using ABAQUS software, the effect of shape memory alloys (SMAs) on superelastic behavior and the various types of eccentric braces will be checked. Moreover, it was observed that the use of SMAs within various types of bracing systems of steel frames leads to a decrease in the reduction factor of the frames. Also, the eccentric bracing in which SMAs are utilized in the middle of bracing led to the highest effect on reduction of lateral drift of the frames and decrease of reduction factor. The obtained results indicated that the application of smart materials led to increasing of strain energy and base shear of the first plastic hinge, which is followed by a decrease in the reduction factor of the frame.