Journal of Steel & Structure

Journal of Steel & Structure

Performance based optimization and seismic assessment of tall structures with zipper and chevron bracing system

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Keyvan Farzad 1
Hamed Mohammadi 2
1 Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran
2 Faculty of Engineering Islamic Azad University Urmia Iran
10.22034/jss.2025.551758.1009
Abstract
Optimal structural design and reducing material consumption are ongoing challenges in engineering practice. An effective approach to achieve these goals is the use of metaheuristic optimization algorithms. However, most studies employing such algorithms in structural engineering have focused mainly on conceptual design, with limited emphasis on practical implementation. The main objective of this study is to apply practical optimization methods to minimize structural weight and to compare the optimal weight of tall steel frames equipped with zipper and chevron braced lateral systems under seismic loading, while satisfying all code requirements. To this end, 10- and 15-story steel frames were optimized using several metaheuristic algorithms whose performance has been validated in previous research. The zipper braced system has been proposed to improve the post-buckling behavior of chevron braced frames and to compensate for their weaknesses after brace buckling. To better capture the seismic behavior of these systems, nonlinear analyses and performance-based design procedures were employed in the optimization process. The results show that the modified Dolphin algorithm outperforms the other optimization algorithms considered in this study. In addition, the zipper system achieves approximately 6% lower optimal weight compared to the chevron system. Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA) results further confirm that the zipper system provides higher reliability and superior seismic performance than the chevron system.
Keywords
Metaheuristic Algorithm
Zipper Braced Frame
Performance Based Design
Incremental Dynamic Analysis
Subjects
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  • Receive Date 06 October 2025
  • Revise Date 24 November 2025
  • Accept Date 05 December 2025
  • First Publish Date 05 December 2025
  • Publish Date 23 September 2025