Comparison of nonlinear behavior of steel moment frames accompanied with RC shear walls or steel bracings

In this paper, the seismic behavior of dual structural systems in forms of steel moment‐resisting frames accompanied with reinforced concrete shear walls and steel moment‐resisting frames accompanied with concentrically braced frames, have been studied. The nonlinear behavior of the mentioned structural systems has been evaluated as, in earthquakes, structures usually enter into an inelastic behavior stage and, hence, the applied energy to the structures will be dissipated. As a result, some parameters such as ductility factor of structure (μ), over‐strength factor (R_s) and response modification factor (R) for the mentioned structures have been under assessment. To achieve these objectives, 30‐story buildings containing such structural systems were used to perform the pushover analyses having different load patterns. Analytical results show that the steel moment‐resisting frames accompanied with reinforced concrete shear walls system has higher ductility and response modification factor than the other one, and so, it is observed to achieve suitable seismic performance; using the first system can have more advantages than the second one. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Equivalent viscous damping in direct displacement‐based design of steel braced reinforced concrete frames

Performance‐based design method, particularly direct displacement‐based design (DDBD) method, has been widely used for seismic design of structures. Estimation of equivalent viscous damping factor used to characterize the substitute structure for different structural systems is a dominant parameter in this design methodology. In this paper, results of experimental and numerical investigations performed for estimating the equivalent viscous damping in DDBD procedure of two lateral resistance systems, moment frames and braced moment frames, are presented. For these investigations, cyclic loading tests are conducted on scaled moment resisting frames with and without bracing. The experimental results are also used to calibrate full‐scale numerical models. A numerical investigation is then conducted on a set of analytical moment resisting frames with and without bracing. The equivalent viscous damping and ductility of each analytical model are calculated from hysteretic responses. On the basis of analytical results, new equations are proposed for equivalent viscous damping as a function of ductility for reinforced concrete and steel braced reinforced concrete frames. As a result, the new equation is used in direct displacement‐based design of a steel braced reinforced concrete frame. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Performance evaluation of special and intermediate moment‐resisting reinforced concrete frames using pushover and incremental dynamic analysis

In this study, the seismic performance of special and intermediate moment‐resisting reinforced concrete frames are evaluated through nonlinear static and dynamic analysis. According to experimental studies, one of the most important parameters affecting the behavior of special and intermediate ductile reinforced concrete frames is the transverse reinforcement ratio. In this paper, constitutive law of material for concrete under the influence of various transverse reinforcement ratios have been derived using Mander et al. model, and 20 ground‐motion accelerograms have been utilized for dynamic analysis. Additionally, the results of pushover and incremental dynamic analysis were compared in order to evaluate seismic performance of the selected high‐rise structures. Results reveal that both types of reinforced concrete frames with beam‐hinge type failure mechanisms have ductile behavior. Special moment frames have higher ductility because of early entry into nonlinear range resulting in higher plastic rotations, which result in greater lateral displacements. Due to the differences in behavior of intermediate and special ductility frames, confinement has an important role in the ductile behavior of structures. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Evaluation of seismic behavior improvement in RC MRFs retrofitted by controlled rocking wall systems

Using rocking wall systems is a recent technique to improve seismic behavior in reinforced concrete structures. This paper compares three 10‐story and three 20‐story reinforced concrete frames (moment‐resisting frames) with intermediate ductility, reinforced concrete frames with shear wall, and reinforced concrete frames with controlled rocking wall (RCRW) by the use of pushover analysis. At the end of the research, the wall in a 20‐story RCRW system is post‐tensioned then analyzed, and its results were compared with RCRW results. Simulation and numerical analysis were performed with OpenSees software. The results show that plastic hinge formation and inter‐story drifts are well distributed in the structure with rocking wall system in comparison with the other systems. Meanwhile, energy dissipation and displacement ductility are increased in RCRW frames. With post‐tensioning wall in RCRW, the drift ratios are more uniformed. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Influence of seismicity level and height of the building on progressive collapse resistance of steel frames

Influences of building height and seismicity level on progressive collapse resistance of buildings are investigated in this paper. For the height, 4‐story, 8‐story and 12‐story steel special moment resisting frames are focused. The obtained results indicate that taller buildings are safer against progressive collapse. To study the influence of seismicity level, different four‐story structures having special moment resisting frame systems are designed for different levels of seismicity, namely, very high, high, moderate and low. The structures are evaluated, using nonlinear dynamic method and two main scenarios of the codes, including sudden removal of a corner and a middle column in the first floor. Some graphs are presented for progressive collapse resistance of the structures, depending on their seismic base shears. It is shown that the structures designed for greater seismic base shears are more resistant against progressive collapse. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic performance assessment of masonry infill reinforced concrete buildings in Eastern Canada

In Eastern Canada, most of moment resisting reinforced concrete frames with unreinforced masonry infill (MI-MRF) buildings were constructed between 1915 and 1960. These pre-code structures, in terms of seismic requirements, are considered vulnerable to earthquake due to insufficient ductility and resistance. The goal of this study is to provide a quantitative assessment of their seismic performance using fragility functions. Fragility functions represent the probability of damage that corresponds to a specific seismic intensity measure (e.g. peak ground acceleration at the site). Based on a structural characterisation study on existing buildings in Québec region, a case study three storey–three bay MI-MRF was selected as representative for mid-rise buildings. Pushover analyses were conducted on a nonlinear model of the infill frame to obtain the corresponding lateral load-deformation capacity curve. The nonlinear behaviour of the reinforced concrete beams and columns was modelled with concentrated plastic hinges at members’ ends and a modified strut-and-tie model was used for the infill to account for multiple failure modes. A simplified probabilistic nonlinear static procedure was applied to obtain the seismic demand model at increasing levels of seismic intensity. Fragility functions were then developed using an experiment-based damage model that correlate the extent of damage to the displacement demand. Damage assessment using the developed functions was conducted for an earthquake scenario compatible with the design-level seismic hazard in Quebec City with a 2% and 10% probability of exceedance in 50 years. The developed functions and methodology are particularly useful in probability-based seismic loss assessment and in planning mitigation solutions.     

Flexural ductility design of high‐strength concrete beams

In the seismic design of a reinforced concrete (RC) structure, it is necessary to provide not only sufficient strength, but also adequate flexural ductility. This is particularly important to the design of RC beams cast of high‐strength concrete that is inherently more brittle. Eurocode EN1998‐1 directly specifies such minimum flexural ductility. To provide adequate flexural ductility to RC beams, Chinese code GB50011 limits the normalised depth of simplified rectangular stress block at peak resisting moment, whereas American code ACI 318–08 requires that the tension steel strain at peak resisting moment shall not be smaller than 0.004. The essential parameters identified for effective flexural ductility design of RC beams include the maximum difference of tension and compression reinforcement ratios and maximum normalised neutral axis depth at peak resisting moment, as they help to guarantee various flexural ductility requirements. Their relationship with the flexural ductility is studied using a rigorous full‐range moment–curvature analysis procedure. Empirical formulae and tables are also developed to facilitate flexural ductility design of RC beams. A comparison shows that the allowable differences of tension and compression ratios may be smaller than those specified in Eurocode 8 particularly for those cast of high‐strength concrete. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An investigation on the interaction of moment‐resisting frames and shear walls in RC dual systems using endurance time method

Reinforced concrete (RC) dual systems are composed of RC moment‐resisting frames (MRFs) and RC shear walls, where MRFs are barely designed to handle gravity loads. Investigations have demonstrated that shear walls exert negative effects on the upper part of MRFs. In this paper, the interaction of shear walls and MRFs is inspected using endurance time (ET) method. ET is a dynamic time history‐based pushover procedure in which structures are exposed to a set of predefined intensifying ET acceleration functions. In this method, seismic performance of the considered structure is assessed based on earthquake return periods; during which, required predefined seismic performance objectives are fulfilled. In this study, several buildings with RC dual systems were designed based on the conventional codes. Next, their nonlinear duplicates were generated for the application of the ET analysis. It was revealed that shear wall elements impose considerable rotational demands—exceeding the criteria established by ASCE41‐13—on the beams and columns, especially those located on the upper parts of the buildings. This paper puts forth and reviews certain methods to cushion the negative effects brought about by RC shear walls, along with a detailed discussion on their merits and demerits.     

钢管混凝土框架结构抗震性能的试验研究

按照现行规范的有关规定设计制作了一榀两跨 3层钢梁 圆钢管混凝土柱的钢管混凝土框架结构模型 ,并通过施加恒定竖向荷载和低周反复水平荷载 ,对模型框架进行了抗震性能试验研究。结果表明 ,基于现行规范所设计的钢管混凝土框架在地震时能形成梁铰破坏机制 ,框架的变形能力、承载能力、延性、耗能能力等受力性能均满足延性框架的抗震要求 ,且模型框架的有效延性系数达到了 7 5 4,远大于一般延性框架延性系数应不小于 4 0的要求。由此可以得出结论 ,钢管混凝土框架结构的抗震性能优于钢筋混凝土框架结构和钢框架结构 ,可在我国中高层住宅建筑中推广应用     

Nonlinear seismic assessment of irregular coupled wall systems using high‐performance fiber‐reinforced cement composites

Reinforced concrete coupled wall systems that consist of multiple shear walls linked by coupling beams are known to be very effective for resisting lateral loads in high‐rise buildings. As to improving the seismic capacity of coupled wall systems, high‐performance fiber‐reinforced cement composites (HPFRCCs) have been recently considered. These materials are characterized by tension strain‐hardening behavior that can improve the ductility and toughness of structures subjected to reversed cyclic loading. In this study, nonlinear finite element analyses were conducted to investigate the effects of HPFRCCs on the seismic behavior of irregular tall buildings with coupled wall systems. The coupling beams were modeled using moment hinge elements, and the structural walls were modeled using fiber elements. Comparisons between analysis and test results of coupled wall specimens with and without HPFRCCs indicate that the modeling methods used well predict both the overall and local behaviors. The responses of a 56‐story irregular tall building with coupled walls are discussed with focus on the effects of HPFRCCs. It is noted that the use of HPFRCCs in coupling beams and structural walls of one‐fourth height from the base greatly affects the failure mode. For irregular tall buildings, nonlinear response history analysis indicates higher mode effects are critical.     

Flexural ductility design of high‐strength concrete columns

In the seismic design of a structure, it is necessary to provide not only sufficient strength, but also a minimum level of flexural ductility for reinforced concrete (RC) columns. Eurocode EN1998‐1 directly specifies such minimum flexural ductility, while Chinese code GB50011 limits the normalized design axial force to achieve a nominal minimum flexural ductility. American code ACI 318‐08 uses the tension steel strain at peak resisting moment to control the failure mode. To provide the required flexural ductility, a much lower axial strength reduction factor is assigned to compression‐controlled failure than to tension‐controlled failure. To develop an effective strategy for flexural ductility design of RC columns, it is necessary to identify the essential parameters and control them properly. This is particularly important to those cast of high‐strength concrete that is inherently more brittle. The essential parameters identified include the maximum normalized axial force and maximum normalized neutral axis depth at peak resisting moment, as they help to guarantee various flexural ductility requirements. Their relationship with the flexural ductility is studied using a rigorous full‐range moment‐curvature analysis procedure. Empirical formulae and tables are also developed to facilitate flexural ductility design of RC columns. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic performance evaluation of steel moment resisting frames through incremental dynamic analysis

Earthquake hazards effect significant damage to structures and cause widespread failure throughout buildings. Moment resisting frames are widely used as lateral resisting systems when sufficient ductility is to be met. Generally three types of moment resisting frames are designed in practice namely Special, Intermediate and Ordinary Moment Frames, each of which has certain level of ductility. Comparative studies on the seismic performance of these three different types of structure are performed in this study. Analytical models of connections are employed including panel zone and beam to column joint model. Incremental dynamic analysis is then utilized to assess the structural dynamic behavior of the frames and to generate required data for performance based evaluations. Maximum annual probability of exceeding different limit states may reveal the superiority of a ductile structure in which a greater behavior factor is employed. Special moment resisting frames are expected to perform better once a certain level of ductility is to be met but the amount of superiority may be the subject of investigation especially from a performance based design standpoint.     

Verification of performance criteria using shake table testing for the vulnerability assessment of reinforced concrete buildings

Shake table experiments are conducted to support the selection of performance criteria and to verify the inelastic modeling approach for developing the fragility functions of reinforced concrete buildings. Two frames representing the lateral force‐resisting system of a preseismic code building are tested under the effect of an earthquake record with increasing severity. Shear failure is detected in columns at a PGA of 1.28g before other failure modes, which was effectively predicted by the fiber‐based numerical model, performance criteria, and shear supply approaches adopted for vulnerability assessment. Five buildings, ranging from 2 to 40 stories, are then assessed under the effect of far‐field and near‐source earthquake records, considering the experimentally verified modeling approach and shear failure prediction models that account for flexural ductility and shear‐axial force interaction. The impact of considering shear response on the vulnerability assessment results is considerable, particularly for the lower‐height wall structures when subjected to the near‐source earthquake scenario. Higher modes dominate the behavior of wall structures, principally under the latter seismic scenario, and shift their response to shear‐controlled. Therefore, seismic scenario‐structure‐based performance criteria are adopted for developing a range of analytically derived, experimentally verified fragility functions for the earthquake loss estimation of buildings with different characteristics.     

Retrofit of RC frames against progressive collapse using prestressing tendons

This study investigates the effect of prestressing tendons on the progressive collapse performance of a 6‐ and 20‐story reinforced concrete model structures. According to nonlinear static and dynamic analysis results, the analysis model structures turned out to be vulnerable to progressive collapse caused by sudden loss of a first story column. However, the RC structures reinforced by external prestressing tendons along floor girders showed stable behavior against progressive collapse. The retrofit effect increased as the initial tension and cross‐sectional area of tendons increased. The incremental dynamic analyses showed that the seismic performance of the model structure was also enhanced after the retrofit using tendons. Based on analysis results, it was concluded that the retrofit of existing buildings using prestressing tendons could be effective for increasing both progressive collapse resisting capacity and seismic performance of RC framed structures. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic behavior analysis for composite structures of steel frame‐reinforced concrete infill wall

The composite structure of steel frame–reinforced concrete infill wall (CSRC) combines the advantages of steel frames and reinforced concrete shear walls. Reinforced concrete infill walls increase the lateral stiffness of steel frames and reduce seismic demands on steel frames thus providing opportunities to use partially restrained connections. In order to study seismic behavior and load transfer mechanism of CSRC, a two‐story one‐bay specimen was tested under cyclic loads. With that, the main characters such as, strength, stiffness, ductility, energy dissipation, load distribution, performance of steel frames, partially restrained connections and studs, are analyzed and evaluated. The experimental results show that the structure has adequate strength redundancy and sufficient lateral stiffness. The CSRC system has good ductility and energy dissipation capability. Partially restrained connections could enhance ductility and avoid abrupt decreases in strength and stiffness after the failure of infill walls. The composite interaction is ensured by headed studs, which have failed because of low‐cycle fatigue. Steel frames bear 80%–100% of overturning moments, and the remainder is undertaken by infill walls; steel frames and infill walls resisted 10%–20% and 80%–90% of lateral loads, respectively. Furthermore, relevant design recommendations are presented. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Lateral cyclic behavior of zipper braced frames-considering connection details

During Northridge earthquake in USA in 1994, a variety of failures occurred in welded steel connections. Studying these structural failures has led to development of more reliable moment resisting connections and new ways of using braced frames as seismic load resisting systems. This article investigates through numerical simulations, the lateral capacity and seismic behavior of two of these newly-thought braced frames, zipper braced frames and suspended zipper braced frames. The overall seismic behavior of these frames is investigated through displacement-based pushover analyses considering the effect of connection elements such as gusset plate and shear tab. To study the efficiency of these two types of concentrically braced frames, a numerical investigation on their behaviors for low-, mid- and high-rise buildings was conducted. Three zipper braced frames and three suspended zipper braced frames with different number of stories have been modeled using OpenSEES software. For each simulation, frame maximum strength, maximum drift capacity, and weight are determined and compared with each other. It is concluded that connection modeling has significant effects on the lateral behavior of these frames. Furthermore, the suspended zipper braced frames show higher ductility when compared with the ductility of zipper braced frames. Finally, the suspended zipper braced frames are recommended to be used in high-rise buildings, however, for the lowand mid-rise buildings it is recommended to use zipper frames due to economic efficacy.     

Effect of small axial force on flexural ductility design of high‐strength concrete beams

Small axial forces may appear in beams in a reinforced concrete (RC) structure. The presence of compressive axial force, even at a low level, has an adverse effect on the flexural ductility of RC beams, which is a key attribute for seismic design. For example, Eurocode EN1998‐1 explicitly specifies such minimum flexural ductility, whereas Chinese code GB50011 limits the depth of equivalent rectangular stress block at peak resisting moment to achieve indirectly a certain nominal flexural ductility. Therefore, ignoring the presence of compressive axial force may be risky. In this study, the effect of small compressive axial force on the flexural ductility performance of both normal‐strength and high‐strength concrete beams is evaluated on the basis of a rigorous full‐range moment–curvature analysis. An effective strategy for flexural ductility design of RC beams with small compressive axial force is identified so that various flexural ductility requirements can be satisfied. The essential control parameter proposed is the maximum difference of tension and compression reinforcement ratios. Empirical formulae and tables are developed for convenient implementation. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of soil‐structure interaction and lateral design load pattern on performance‐based plastic design of steel moment resisting frames

The effects soil‐structure interaction (SSI) and lateral design load‐pattern are investigated on the seismic response of steel moment‐resisting frames (SMRFs) designed with a performance‐based plastic design (PBPD) method through a comprehensive analytical study on a series of 4‐, 8‐, 12‐, 14‐, and 16‐story models. The cone model is adopted to simulate SSI effects. A set of 20 strong earthquake records are used to examine the effects of different design parameters including fundamental period, design load‐pattern, target ductility, and base flexibility. It is shown that the lateral design load pattern can considerably affect the inelastic strength demands of SSI systems. The best design load patterns are then identified for the selected frames. Although SSI effects are usually ignored in the design of conventional structures, the results indicate that SSI can considerably influence the seismic performance of SMRFs. By increasing the base flexibility, the ductility demand in lower story levels decreases and the maximum demand shifts to the higher stories. The strength reduction factor of SMRFs also reduces by increasing the SSI effects, which implies the fixed‐base assumption may lead to underestimated designs for SSI systems. To address this issue, new ductility‐dependent strength reduction factors are proposed for multistory SMRFs with flexible base conditions.     

Seismic collapse analysis of high‐rise reinforced concrete frames under long‐period ground motions

Structural damages associated with buckling of longitudinal reinforcing steel and crushing of concrete induce strength and stiffness degradation in reinforced concrete (RC) beams and columns. This paper presents a numerical investigation on earthquake‐induced damages and collapse of typical high‐rise RC buildings model incorporating strength degradation (SD) effects. In a simple finite‐element analysis program with the generalized stress fiber discretization, hysteretic constitutive models primarily dominate the inelastic behavior. Buckling of reinforcing steel and crushing of confined concrete are taken into accounted to the stress–strain relationship of fiber elements. The SD effect in components with small hoop ratio tends to amplify the seismic responses high‐rise RC moment‐resisting frames when the intensity of ground motions exceeds the design level. Buckling of steel rebar and crushing of concrete should be fully considered together with the P‐Δ effect for collapse simulations.     

Considering dynamic parameters of damaged structure in MPA and YPS nonlinear static procedures for asymmetric buildings

The yield point spectra and modal pushover procedures have already been used in seismic design of new buildings and vulnerability evaluation of existing structures. This paper initially identifies the similarities and differences of the two procedures. Then, the modal characteristics of damaged structure are used to modify their methodologies. The applications of the procedures in estimating displacement, interstory drift index and plastic hinge rotation responses of asymmetric buildings are investigated for three 5‐story reinforced concrete moment‐resisting frame‐building models. The results show considerable improvement in estimating the responses of those asymmetric buildings. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.