Limitations of inter-storey drift in seismic damage assessment of structures

Abstract

In this study, inelastic time history of 3-storey frames is performed for three seismic intensities and the interstorey drifts are obtained. Damage distribution in the frames based on inter-storey drifts is then evaluated in comparison with the experimental and analytical damage. Though the “inter-storey drift” parameter due to its simplicity has been widely accepted in different seismic codes around the world, it is herein found that inter-storey drift suffers a number of limitations in interpreting the damage state of structures subjected to earthquakes.