| Abstract: | This paper summarizes results of a comprehensive analytical study aimed at evaluating the amplitude and heightwise distribution of residual drift demands in multi‐storey moment‐resisting frames after earthquake excitation. For that purpose, a family of 12 one‐bay two‐dimensional generic frame models was subjected to an ensemble of 40 ground motions scaled to different intensities. In this investigation, an inelastic ground motion intensity measure was employed to scale each record, which allowed reducing the record‐to‐record variability in the estimation of residual drift demands. The results were statistically processed in order to evaluate the influence of ground motion intensity, number of stories, period of vibration, frame mechanism, system overstrength, and hysteretic behaviour on central tendency of residual drift demands. In addition, a special emphasis was given to evaluate the uncertainty in the estimation of residual drift demands. Results of incremental dynamic analyses indicate that the amplitude and heightwise distribution of residual drift demands strongly depends on the frame mechanism, the heightwise system structural overstrength and the component hysteretic behaviour. An important conclusion for performance‐based assessment is that the evaluation of residual drift demands involves significantly larger levels of uncertainty (i.e. record‐to‐record variability) than that of maximum drift demands, which suggests that this variability and corresponding uncertainty should be explicitly taken into account when estimating residual drift demands during performance‐based seismic assessment of frame buildings. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
