Relative Displacement Floor Spectra for Seismic Design of Non Structural Elements

Relative displacement floor spectra represent a powerful tool to evaluate the seismic displacement requirements of non-structural elements relative to their attachment points and can be used for displacement-based design of ductile components.

This article examines the displacement floor spectra on single-degree of freedom systems subject to accelerograms of varying intensity. A new method is proposed to predict floor spectra on single degree of freedom supporting structures. The results of nonlinear time-history analyses of a series of case-study structures indicate that the new methodology provides good results.

Future research will aim to validate this approach for multi-degrees of freedom supporting structures.