A Critical Review of P–Delta Analysis and Stability Performance of Multistory Pre-Engineered Buildings

The trend of applying multistory pre-engineered buildings (PEBs) to industrial and commercial situations is on the rise, however, this has brought about some issues regarding stability and serviceability of the structures under lateral loading. Multistory cases are different from the conventional low-rise PEBs as they have increased slenderness, decreased lateral stiffness, and axial forces that interact significantly with lateral displacements which are in fact the governing design consideration for the second-order P–Delta effects. Usually, these effects are dealt with a simplified approach in present-day practice and this results in the potential underestimation of drift, member demand, and instability risk. The key goal of this review is to bring together and critically evaluate the existing studies on P–Delta analysis of multistory PEBs with a focus on analytical, numerical and case-study-based research. The review examines both linear and nonlinear analysis methods while evaluating performance metrics such as drift amplification and base shear reduction and member force interaction between structural elements. The research findings demonstrate that P-Delta effects must be studied because their absence creates inaccurate serviceability and ultimate performance forecasts that worsen under wind and seismic loading conditions. The nonlinear static and nonlinear dynamic methods provide accurate stability detection and displacement demand assessment throughout all assessment periods. The review has identified a lack of PEB-specific experiments and performance-based design frameworks which directs future research to establish safer multistory PEB systems that operate reliably.