This thesis is divided into two topics: the development of a procedure for wind serviceability design of steel buildings and the development of a simple linear response history analysis for building codes. In the United States the building codes are generally silent on the issue of serviceability. This has led to a wide variation in design practices related to service level wind loads. Chapter 2 of this thesis contains a literature review which discusses pertinent aspects of wind drift serviceability, including selecting the mean recurrence interval (MRI), mathematical modeling of the structure, and establishment of rational deformation limits. Chapter 3 contains a journal article submitted to Engineering Journal which describes the recommended procedure for damage based wind serviceability design of steel structures. The procedure uses a broad range of MRIs, bases damage measurement on shear strains, includes all sources of deformation in the model, and bases deformation limits on fragility curves. Chapter 4 of this thesis contains a literature review which examines issues related to performing linear response history analysis. Chapter 5 contains a conference paper submitted to the Tenth U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering which serves as a position paper promoting the inclusion of a linear response history analysis procedure in future editions of the NEHRP Recommended Seismic Provisions and ASCE 7. The procedure address the following issues: selection and scaling of ground motions, the use of spectral matched ground motions, design for dependent actions, and the scaling of responses with the response modification coefficient (R) and the deflection amplification factor (Cd). / Master of Science

This thesis reviews the parameters required to perform linear response history analysis according to Chapter 16 of the American Standard ASCE 7-10. A careful analysis is presented about the selection of ground motions using real records and using artificial records generated such that their response spectrum matches with a defined target spectrum; three different techniques are studied for the generation of these artificial records. Also, this document revises the scaling of ground motion techniques in the American Standard ASCE-7 as well as in other seismic codes. It presents a detailed analysis of the variables influencing the scaling of ground motions, and it suggests a new scaling technique for linear response history analysis. The assumptions made establishing the flexibility of the diaphragms are also analyzed as well as dynamic methods to include accidental torsion when doing a linear response history analysis. Other modeling issues such as the orientation of the ground motion axis, scaling of element forces and displacements, orthogonal loading, solution techniques, P-Delta effects, modeling of the basement, and calculation of drifts are also studied in the context of linear response history analysis. The thesis concludes with suggested code language for linear response history analysis intended to be considered in future editions of the American Standard ASCE 7. / Master of Science