Seismic behaviour of steel modular buildings: numerical analysis and comparisons between different design solutions

Recently, there is an increasing interest to develop modular multi-storey structures that can be adapted to any use like hospitals, schools, housing, etc, characterized by versatility and speed of use in several conditions. Modular buildings may form complete building blocks with structural systems composed by several elements, such as steel frames, X-LAM timber floors and walls. These modular solutions are then completed with suspended ceilings and facilities including electrical and water systems. This work is focused on the structural behaviour of steel modular buildings with different configurations. To this scope, a case study is considered, characterized by steel elements with connections allowing a rapid on-site assemblage, without any need of skilled workmanship. A comparison among numerical results obtained with time history analyses is shown and discussed. The work presented is a first part of an on-going research addressed to propose reference solutions for modules, suitable in seismic prone areas and characterized by a low-seismic damage.