Seismic performance of ATLS modular house based on joint stiffness analysis

Modular buildings have developed rapidly in recent years due to the advantages of environmental protection, fast construction, and guaranteed construction quality. As a form of a modular structure, the assembled-type light steel (ATLS) modular house possesses the following additional features: it can be easily disassembled, transported, and the column can be separated from the top and bottom frames. The structural components of the modular unit adopt cold-formed open thin-walled sections; their connection is weak, which results in low structural integrity. Therefore, the connection performance and evaluation of the lateral stiffness have always been the focus of research. In this study, firstly, a two-story ATLS modular house is tested for quasi-static loading, and the finite element software ABAQUS is used to compare the test results. Then, to improve the analysis efficiency based on the modeling simplification, the stiffness analysis of the intra-modular connections and the inter-modular connections of the ATLS modular house was carried out. The simplified method of connections was then proposed. Finally, based on the developed simplified model, the seismic performance of the two-story ATLS modular house was obtained and validated with test findings. Results demonstrated that the structure showed a suitable degree of ductility and energy consumption. The simplification of intra-modular joints as semi-rigid, while inter-modular joints as rigid were found reasonable to adequately obtain the overall seismic response of the structure. Hence, the study provides a foundation for applying ATLS modular houses in temporary housing after the earthquake rehabilitation. [Display omitted] •The seismic performance of a full-scale two-story ATLS modular house was studied by cyclic test.•The FE model was established to reproduce seismic behavior of the ATLS modular house.•Joint stiffness analysis of the ATLS modular house was studied.•The overall simplified model of the ATLS modular house was proposed.