Investigation of modelling methods for buildings with non-structural elements

Abstract

The modelling of non-structural elements is becoming increasingly important. It has been found that during seismic events modern buildings can incur significant downtime due to the damage of contents, even when the building is performing well structurally. This report details an investigation into the validity of the cascade modelling method for the design of buildings with non-structural elements. The cascade method is a way of modelling a building without using specific details of non-structural elements, and then later performing a separate analysis in order to design the contents. It was found that the cascade method may be an appropriate method for modelling non-structural elements. However, as the non-structural mass increases, the error becomes more significant. Currently, most cascade modelling considers only translational motions. Rotational motion, if present and relevant, should be considered as part of the modelling input.