Shake table test on a steel moment resisting frame with nonstructural elements

The results of a shake table test program on two Steel Moment-Resisting Frame (SMRF) structures alternatively equipped with and without nonstructural elements are presented in this article. The nonstructural elements included ceilings and ductile infill drywalls. The design criteria, the geometrical features of the structural and nonstructural components, the adopted scaling procedure, the experimental setup, and the testing procedure are explained. The global and local responses of the two mockups are compared. The results show that the nonstructural elements had a minor impact on the global structural responses (e.g., structural period, maximum and residual inter-story drifts, and floor accelerations) except at very high intensities (PGA>1.0 g). Similar considerations are valid for beam-to-column joints, which exhibited similar hysteretic behavior and types of damage. The ceiling remained nearly undamaged despite experiencing peak horizontal and vertical accelerations of 3.6 and 20 times greater than those of the corresponding floors. The infill walls experienced peak accelerations that were 4.4 and 3.5 times higher than the average of the corresponding floors in both in-plane and out-of-plane directions, respectively. These walls also exhibited surface panel board buckling due to their interaction with the columns.