A Practical Approach for Rapid Life-Cycle Cost Assessment of Special Moment Resisting Steel Frames
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STEEL STRUCTURES, vol.26, no.3, pp.597-609, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Publication Type: Article / Article
- Volume: 26 Issue: 3
- Publication Date: 2026
- Doi Number: 10.1007/s13296-026-01053-y
- Journal Name: INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STEEL STRUCTURES
- Journal Indexes: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, ABI/INFORM, Compendex, INSPEC, Materials Science & Engineering Collection (ProQuest), Technology Collection (ProQuest)
- Page Numbers: pp.597-609
- Keywords: Inter-story drift estimation, Life-cycle cost, Rapid assessment, Residential buildings, Special moment resisting frames, Steel structures
- Middle East Technical University Affiliated: Yes
Abstract
In this study, a practical approach is developed for a rapid life-cycle cost (LCC) assessment of special moment-resisting steel frames (SMRFs). This approach enables the LCC estimation for SMRFs up to eight stories using only three input parameters: building height, total number of stories, and the response spectrum. The proposed approach first estimates the effective fundamental period of a structure, followed by the estimation of maximum inter-story drift ratios under specified seismic hazard levels. These estimated demands are then integrated into an established probabilistic framework to compute the expected LCC. Results indicate that the proposed regression models effectively capture structural response, yielding average absolute calibration errors of 7.14% and 8.61% for inter-story drift ratios and LCC, respectively. Owing to its simplicity and efficiency, the proposed approach offers strong potential as a practical tool for decision-makers to rapidly estimate the LCC of entire residential zones through discrete evaluation of individual structures, particularly those designed according to modern building codes in seismically active regions.