Seismic Performance of RC Frame with Shape Memory Alloy Bracing Bars

In this study, high seismic performance RC frames have been proposed to have Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) bars acting as a kind of structural bracing system at both sides of a frame to increase the energy dissipation capacity of the RC frame. The type of SMA bar used in the study is the Superelastic SMA bar. The force-displacement hysteretic loops of the RC frame with SMA bars under seismic loading are presented and compared with the test results of the bare RC frame. Test results show that the SMA bars can effectively reduce the maximum story drift of the tested frame. It was found that the reduction of story drift and base shear was depending on the characteristic of the input ground motions.