SEISMIC ANALYSES OF SINGLE-STOREY STEEL BUILDINGS FOR EVALUATING CLADDING DAMAGE

The analysis of steel constructions for their seismic design is commonly based on structural models including just the main frame members and relevant connections, while cladding pan-els are considered only in evaluating the seismic mass. Exceptions to this common approach can be found in a few studies available in the literature. A recent contribution was presented on the cladding damage under seismic input, as well as on the role of cladding panels in the overall seismic response of single-storey steel buildings. The results pointed out that clad-dings might have an important role on seismic response and should not be neglected in a re-fined finite element model. Starting from the available previous studies, the current work contributes in terms of both methodology and results. Regarding the methodology, a multi-criteria approach adopted for evaluating damage to cladding panels is reviewed and its ap-plicability is discussed based on the results of a probabilistic study performed via multiple-stripe analyses. Regarding the results, a case study designed according to the Eurocodes and the recent 2018 Italian National Building Code is analysed with the aim of investigating the influence of cladding panels with non-symmetric plan distributions, which introduce torsional effects even if the structural elements have a symmetric configuration.