This study is concerned with a global assessment of the performance of steel building structures during the 1985 Mexico earthquake. The performance evaluation is carried out by a classification of buildings according to structural systems and height, a comprehensive damage survey, and a considerable amount of analytical modeling which permits an assessment of structural response with due consideration to the characteristics of the site soil conditions in Mexico City. Approximately 10 buildings are used for analytical evaluation. From the design information on these buildings, simplified analytical models are developed for nonlinear dynamic analysis. The results of the analyses are used to correlate predicted response with observed behavior. In this correlation, praticular emphasis is placed on an evaluation of the P- effect and cumulative damage effects. The goal of the project is to improve seismic design pratice for steel buildings.
