Performance-based optimisation of RC frames with friction wall dampers

This study aims to develop a computationally efficient method for optimum performance-based design of friction-based dampers based on the concept of Uniform Distribution of Deformation (UDD) and also propose a simplified method for preliminary design of these systems subjected to near and far-field earthquakes. In the proposed approach, the computational cost is considerably reduced by using an adaptive convergence factor modified based on the level of performance violation. The efficiency of the method is investigated for 3, 5 and 10-storey RC frames and the results are compared with Genetic Algorithm (GA) and a coupled UDD-GA approach. It is shown that the proposed method can lead to optimum design solutions with significantly lower computational costs (up to 300 times) compared to both GA and coupled UDD-GA methods. Optimum solutions are shown to be more sensitive to Peak Ground Velocity (PGV) than Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA), especially for near-field earthquakes with high velocity pulses. Based on the results of this study, a new design equation is proposed for the preliminary design of RC frames with friction wall dampers.