Comparative Numerical Evaluation of the Seismic Behavior of the Steel Framing System and Confined Masonry for a Single-Family Dwelling in Peru: A Computational Modeling Study
Abstract
Abstract This study numerically evaluated the seismic behavior of the Steel Framing construction system compared to confined masonry for a single-family dwelling in a seismic zone of Peru, using computational simulation rather than physical testing. The research applied a quantitative approach with a non-experimental, cross-sectional, descriptive-comparative design. Two three-dimensional models were built in ETABS 22 through the Python COM API: a 6.00 m × 4.00 m Steel Framing module with ASTM A446 Gr.C profiles, and a confined masonry module of the same footprint with f'c = 175 kgf/cm² columns and f'm = 65 kgf/cm² walls. Results showed that confined masonry exhibited greater lateral rigidity (T1 = 0.150 s vs. T1 = 0.280 s for Steel Framing), maximum interstory drifts of 0.0031 and 0.0048 respectively — both within the E.030 limit of 0.005 — and 32.3% higher base shear than Steel Framing. Both systems satisfied the seismic safety criteria of the E.030 Standard within the specific geometric and soil conditions modeled. Within these limits, Steel Framing behaves as a technically viable lightweight structural alternative for single-story housing in the seismic zone analyzed; broader claims regarding construction speed and cost, reported elsewhere in the literature, were not evaluated in this study and are not asserted as findings here.
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a simulation / modelling, done in computer models (in silico), not in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.
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