Optimal Seismic Design of 2D Steel Moment Frames with Set-back in Height Based on Structural Performance

Structural height set-back is a particular type of irregularity that affects the performance of the structure significantly. Therefore, researchers have always been interested in the effects of height irregularities on the seismic performance of such structures. The present study aimed to provide an optimal design based on the seismic performance of three- and nine-story steel moment frames with set-back in height. The study proposes a method that takes the acceptance criteria into account by analysis in two directions for the optimal design of steel moment frames with setbacks. Optimization in the present study aims to reduce the structural weight and obtain uniform inter-story lateral drift distribution through the acceptance criteria for each performance level. The optimization process is performed using meta-heuristic algorithms of Accelerated Water Evaporation Optimization and Accelerated Water Evaporation Optimization. The results show the efficiency of algorithms to finding the optimal solution and the appropriateness of the proposed procedure.