Incremental dynamic collapse analysis of RC core‐wall tall buildings considering spatial seismic response distributions

Despite wide‐ranging studies on fragility analysis and collapse safety assessment of short to medium‐rise reinforced concrete (RC) structures, a new interest in the topic is still valuable and even necessary for tall RC buildings. This study aims at establishing fragility relationships as well as collapse probability of high‐rise RC core‐wall buildings under maximum considered earthquake ground motions. This study is carried out in a probabilistic framework on a case study of a fully 3‐dimensional numerical model developed to simulate seismic behavior of a 42‐story building having a RC core‐wall system. Proposing planar and vertical distributions of ductility and damage indices, the incremental dynamic analysis, and the multi‐direction nonlinear static (pushover) analyses were employed to reach the research goal. Median collapse‐level capacities were defined in terms of seismic responses (e.g., ductility/damage indices) as well as several intensity measures by employing statistical analyses and cumulative density functions. Available and acceptable collapse margin ratios were next estimated to quantify collapse safety at maximum considered earthquake shaking level. On an average basis, the statistics indicated 9%–10% and 5%–6% collapse probability of the building subjected to near‐ and far‐field ground motions, respectively.     

Seismic performance and cost‐effectiveness of high‐rise buildings with increasing concrete strength

The relationship between the seismic performance and economics of high‐rise buildings when designed to different material strengths is investigated in this paper. To represent the modern high‐rise construction, five 60‐story reinforced concrete buildings with varying concrete strengths, ranging from 45 MPa to 110 MPa, are designed and detailed to fine accuracy keeping almost equal periods of vibration. Detailed fiber‐based simulation models are developed to assess the relative seismic performance of the reference structures using incremental dynamic analyses and fragility functions. It is concluded that a considerable saving in construction cost and gain in useable area are attained with increasing concrete strength. The safety margins of high‐strength concrete in tall structures may exceed those of normal‐strength concrete buildings, particularly at high ground motion intensity levels. The recommendations of this systematic study may help designers to arrive at cost‐effective designs for high‐rise buildings in earthquake‐prone regions without jeopardizing safety at different performance levels. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic fragility of short period reinforced concrete structural walls under near-source ground motions

The Bayesian parameter estimation technique is used to develop probabilistic displacement and strength capacity and demand models for reinforced concrete structural walls. Experimental data are used to develop the capacity models, and nonlinear dynamic analysis is employed to develop the demand models. Both flexural and shear failures are accounted for. These models are used to assess the seismic fragility of an example RC structural wall. As a new measure of the ground motion intensity, the significant peak ground acceleration is defined and incorporated in the probabilistic demand models and fragility assessment. It is shown that, for short period structures, this measure better correlates with the inelastic response than the elastic response spectrum.     

Effect of vertical structural irregularity on seismic design of tall buildings

Many tall buildings are practically irregular as an entirely regular high‐rise building rarely exists. This study is thus devoted to assessing the approach and coefficients used in the seismic design of real‐life tall buildings with different vertical irregularity features. Five 50‐story buildings are selected and designed using finite element models and international building codes to represent the most common vertical irregularities of reinforced concrete tall buildings in regions of medium seismicity. Detailed fiber‐based simulation models are developed to assess the seismic response of the five benchmark buildings under the effect of 40 earthquake records representing far‐field and near‐source seismic scenarios. The results obtained from a large number of inelastic pushover and incremental dynamic analyses provide insights into the local and global seismic response of the reference structures and confirm the inferior local response of tall buildings with severe vertical irregularities. Due to the significant impacts of the severe irregularity types on the seismic response of tall buildings, the conservative code approach and coefficients are recommended for design. It is also concluded that although the design coefficients of buildings with moderate irregularities are adequately conservative, they can be revised to arrive at more consistent safety margins and cost‐effective designs.     

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.     

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.     

A modified response spectrum analysis procedure to determine nonlinear seismic demands of high‐rise buildings with shear walls

The standard response spectrum analysis (RSA) procedure prescribed in various design codes is commonly used by practicing engineers to determine the seismic demands for structural design purpose. In this procedure, the elastic force demands of all significant vibration modes are first combined and then reduced by a response modification factor (R) to get the inelastic design demands. Recent studies, however, have shown that the response of higher vibration modes may experience much lower level of nonlinearity, and therefore, it may not be appropriate to reduce their demand contributions by the same factor. In this study, a modified RSA procedure based on equivalent linearization concept is presented. The underlying assumptions are that the nonlinear seismic demands can be approximately obtained by summing up the individual modal responses and that the responses of each vibration mode can be approximately represented by those of an equivalent linear SDF system. Using 3 high‐rise buildings with reinforced concrete shear walls (20‐, 33‐, and 44‐story high), the accuracy of this procedure is examined. The inelastic demands computed by the nonlinear response history analysis procedure are used as benchmark. The modified RSA procedure is found to provide reasonably accurate demand estimations for all case study buildings.     

Seismic nonlinear static new method of spatial asymmetric multi‐storey reinforced concrete buildings

In order to obtain the seismic demands of spatial asymmetric multi‐storey reinforced concrete (r/c) buildings, a new seismic nonlinear static (pushover) procedure that uses inelastic response acceleration spectra is presented in this paper. The latter makes use of the optimum equivalent nonlinear single degree of freedom system, which is used to represent the general spatial asymmetric multi‐storey r/c building. For each asymmetric multi‐storey building, a total of 12 suitable nonlinear static analyses are needed according to the new proposed procedure, whereas at least 96 suitable nonlinear dynamic analyses are required in the case of nonlinear response history analysis (NLRHA), respectively. In addition, the present paper provides answers to a series of further questions with reference to the spatial action of the two horizontal seismic components in the static nonlinear (pushover) analyses, as well as to the documented calculation of the available behaviour factor of the asymmetric multi‐storey r/c building. According to the paper, this new proposed seismic nonlinear static procedure is a natural extension of the documented equivalent seismic static linear (simplified spectral) method that is recommended by the established contemporary seismic codes, with reference to torsional provisions. Finally, through a restricted parametric analysis carried out in this paper, a relevant numerical example of a two‐storey r/c building is presented for illustration purposes, where the seismic demand floor inelastic displacements are compared with the respective displacements obtained by the NLRHA. Consequently, the new proposed seismic nonlinear static procedure, which uses inelastic response acceleration spectra, can reliably evaluate the extreme values of floor inelastic displacements (on the flexible and stiff side of the building), as is shown by the above comparisons. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Collapse safety margin and seismic loss assessment of RC frames with equal material cost

With the premise of equal material cost, a collapse safety margin‐based collapse resistance optimization strategy for passively controlled reinforced concrete (RC) frames is proposed based on seismic fragility analysis, collapse safety margin analysis, and seismic hazard loss assessment. The efficiency of introducing buckling restrained braces or lead–rubber bearings on the performance of RC frames is studied by so‐called collapse margin ratio (CMR) suggested by FEMA P695 and the modified rigidity‐to‐gravity ratio (RGR). The proposed strategy is developed from the case study on 4 low‐rise and medium‐rise RC frames and then verified on a high‐rise RC frame. The study indicates that lead–rubber bearings can cause a significant improvement at all damage levels. The contribution of buckling restrained braces to structural stiffness and collapse resistance can be maximized when they are located in potential weak stories determined through inelastic time history analysis. CMR exhibits a better linear relation with the minimum modified RGR. Increasing the equivalent story lateral stiffness and the minimum modified RGR simultaneously can give rise to a significant improvement in seismic capacity, especially CMR. Base isolation is proved to be desirable not only for improving the collapse safety margin of RC frames significantly but also for reducing seismic hazard loss.     

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.     

Fuzzy‐Valued Intensity Measures for Near‐Fault Pulse‐Like Ground Motions

Two fuzzy‐valued (FV) structure‐specific intensity measures (IMs), one based on squared spectral velocity and the other on inelastic spectral displacement, are presented to characterize near‐fault pulse‐like ground motions for performance‐based seismic design and assessment of concrete frame structures. The first IM is designed through fuzzying structural fundamental period to account for the period shift effect due to stiffness degradation, whereas the second IM is developed to take into account higher mode contribution in high‐rise buildings by employing a fuzzy combination of the first two or three modes for the lateral loading pattern in pushover analysis. A benchmark study of three example reinforced concrete frame structures shows that for moderate‐ to medium‐period structures, both of the proposed IMs improve prediction accuracy in comparison with the existing IMs. For short‐period structures, the FV inelastic spectral displacement is the best.     

Seismic vulnerability assessment of tilt-up concrete structures

This paper focuses on seismic vulnerability assessment for one-story tilt-up concrete structures. To capture the potential failure mechanisms, an analytical modelling approach using nonlinear properties is developed and verified with measured data from a shake table test documented in the literature. Nonlinear dynamic analyses using synthetic ground motions for Memphis, Tennessee, are performed to assess dynamic behaviour of the buildings. Then, probabilistic demand models for multiple limit states that represent potential failure mechanisms are developed with a Bayesian updating approach. These demand models are used in conjunction with appropriate capacity limits to develop fragility curves that provide a probabilistic measure of the seismic vulnerability of typical tilt-up concrete buildings. This study shows that the vulnerability of typical tilt-up structures in Mid-America is significant when seismic hazards are high. In addition, it is found that the aspect ratio of building geometry has a significant impact on the seismic performance and fragility estimates of tilt-up buildings.     

Structural performance and economics of tall high strength RC buildings in seismic regions

For a multitude of economic and societal considerations, high rise structures are on the increase. This in turn promotes the use of high strength materials to reduce column size and construction times. Whereas design guidance and engineering understanding of high strength RC structures under static loading is well‐developed, little work has been undertaken on the economics of whole buildings and their performance under earthquake loading. In this paper, 10 buildings of 24 stories are designed and detailed according to modern seismic codes. The buildings are all nominally equivalent, using a stiffness equivalence criterion and its derivatives. The cost of construction is compared in terms of steel, concrete and formwork. The static inelastic response of the buildings is also assessed, followed by a full nonlinear dynamic analysis of all buildings using three earthquake records at the design acceleration and twice the design value. Comprehensive assessment of the static and dynamic results is undertaken. It is concluded that the cost increase is mainly due to the steel, whilst significant member reductions may be availed of by using high strength concrete. The behaviour of high strength concrete structures is not inferior to that of normal strength materials. Indeed, it is observed that lower levels of overstrength can be achieved in high strength materials than in their normal strength counterparts, mainly due to the over‐reinforcement of the latter to resist vertical forces. Recommendations on the use of equivalent cracked stiffness for period calculation in design, and also effective periods for use in displacement‐based design, are given. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Significance of severe distant and moderate close earthquakes on design and behavior of tall buildings

Many sites around the world may be subjected to severe distant earthquakes alongside moderate‐size, short source‐to‐site distance events. The two scenarios have different impacts on high‐rise buildings and should be therefore investigated. Dubai, a region with an exceptionally high rate of development, is vulnerable to the aforementioned earthquake hazard scenarios. The region represents one of the most rapidly growing in construction of tall buildings worldwide. It was therefore selected for the investigation described in the paper. A hazard study for the construction site of a 187m high reinforced concrete tower is conducted. Seismicity of the region is outlined and a hazard assessment is carried out to evaluate peak ground accelerations and uniform hazard spectra for different probabilities of exceedance. A number of natural and synthetic records are selected to represent different seismic assessment scenarios at the site. The RC tower is then modeled and analyzed using state‐of‐the art analytical platforms. Three‐dimensional elastic, inelastic pushover and response history analyses are carried out to verify the dynamic characteristic and estimate the capacity to compare it with the predicted demand. The significance of including severe distant earthquakes in design and assessment of high‐rise buildings is confirmed. Records representing the latter scenario amplify the fundamental mode that may be overlooked in design using short source‐to‐site earthquakes. A proposal is made for scaling the results from inelastic dynamic analysis to arrive at a safe and economical design level. The study not only presents comprehensive hazard and vulnerability study for the selected test case, but also gives conclusions that generically apply to the class of long‐period buildings subjected to large‐distant and small‐close earthquakes. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Optimal reduction of inelastic seismic demands in high‐rise reinforced concrete core wall buildings using energy‐dissipating devices

Recently, the issue of large inelastic seismic force demands at severe ground shakings such as maximum considered earthquake level has been highlighted in the conventionally designed high‐rise reinforced concrete core wall buildings. Uncoupled modal response history analysis was used in this study to identify the modes responsible for the large inelastic seismic force demands. The identification of dominant modes and mean elastic design spectra of seven representative ground motions for different damping ratios has led to the identification of three control measures: plastic hinges (PHs), buckling‐restrained braces (BRBs) and fluid viscous dampers (FVDs). The identified control measures were designed to suppress the dominant modes responsible for the large inelastic seismic force demands. A case‐study building was examined in detail. Comparison of the modal as well as the total responses of the case‐study building with and without the control measures shows that all the control measures were effective and able to reduce the inelastic seismic demands. A reduction of 33%, 22% and 27% in the inelastic shear demand at the base and a reduction of 60%, 22% and 26% in the inelastic moment demand at mid‐height were achieved using the PHs, BRBs and FVDs, respectively. Furthermore, a reduction of about 30–40% in the inelastic seismic deformation demands was achieved for the case of the BRBs and FVDs. The study enables us to gain insight to the complex inelastic behavior of high‐rise wall buildings with and without the control measures. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Collapse behavior evaluation of asymmetric buildings subjected to bi‐directional ground motion

This paper discusses the collapse behavior of low‐rise plan‐asymmetric buildings under bi‐directional horizontal ground motions and utilizing strength and stiffness degrading nonlinear models. For this purpose, three‐dimensional three‐story and six‐story reinforced concrete frame buildings with uni‐directional mass eccentricities equal to 0% (symmetrical), 10%, 20% and 30% are subjected to nonlinear static (pushover) as well as incremental dynamic analyses using a set of far‐field two‐component ground motions and their performance are assessed on the basis of the safety margin against collapse and its probability of occurrence. Comparison of the collapse margin ratios as well as the fragility curves demonstrates significant reduction of the collapse‐level ground motion intensity with increasing eccentricity in plan. Results also indicate that current seismic design parameters including the response modification (R), overstrength (Ω) and ductility (μ) factors are not appropriate for buildings with high levels of plan eccentricity. Buildings with high values of plan eccentricity do not meet the design target life safety performance level on the basis of the calculated probability of collapse and safety margin against collapse. It appears that re‐evaluation of their design parameters is necessary. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Assessment of the seismic performance of old riveted steel frame–RC wall buildings

Seismic performance assessment of old dual riveted steel frame–RC wall buildings using the nonlinear dynamic procedure is presented. The study is based on an existing nine-storey building located in Wellington, New Zealand. The building is representative of medium rise steel framed buildings from the first half of the 20th century.A three dimensional numerical model of the building was developed in an inelastic structural analysis program. Nonlinear characterisations necessary for the prediction of the inelastic cyclic behaviours of the structural components were incorporated into the numerical model. Details of the structural configuration and member properties for the analyses were determined from the original engineering drawings, the construction specifications, as-built concrete strength test results and literature on properties of steel sections used around the period the building was constructed. The inelastic time history analyses were conducted using a suite of seven earthquake records relevant to the seismicity of the building's location.Modal properties of the numerical model compare well with results of a physical test conducted on the building. The implemented modelling procedure appeared to have predicted the most probable seismic performance of this type of building, which would not have been captured by other simplified procedures. The assessment also highlighted the adverse effects the characteristics and location of the walls have on the seismic performance of this type of building by introducing significant torsional and vertical irregularities.     

Effect of elaborate plastic hinge definition on the pushover analysis of reinforced concrete buildings

Due to its simplicity, lumped plasticity approach is usually used for nonlinear characterization of reinforced concrete (RC) members in pushover analysis. In this approach, the inelastic force deformation of hinges could be defined as either the nonlinear properties suggested in FEMA‐356 and ATC‐40 or defined hinges quantified on the basis of the properties of RC members. However, the nonlinear response of RC structures relies heavily on the inelastic properties of the structural members concentrated in the plastic hinges. To provide a comparative study, this paper attempts to show the results of pushover analyses of RC structures modeled on the basis of the FEMA nonlinear hinges and defined hinges. Following the validation of the adopted models, the force–deformation curves of the defined hinges are determined in a rigorous approach considering the material inelastic behavior, reinforcement details and dimensions of the members. For the case studies, two four‐story and one eight‐story frames are considered in order to represent low‐rise and mid‐rise buildings with different ductility. Nonlinear responses of both models are elaborated in terms of the inter‐story drift, hinging pattern, failure mechanism and the pushover curve. It is confirmed that FEMA hinges underestimate the strength and more importantly the displacement capacity, especially for the frame possessing low ductility. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic fragility analysis of low-rise unreinforced masonry structures

Unreinforced masonry (URM) is one of the most common structural types for low-rise buildings in the United States. Its dynamic behavior is highly nonlinear, and generally shows high vulnerability to seismic loading. Despite the need for seismic risk assessment of this class of structures, the fragility curves for URM buildings based on analytical models are scarce in the field of earthquake engineering. This study performs seismic fragility analysis of a URM low-rise building. Fragility curves are developed for a two-story URM building designed to represent a typical essential facility (i.e., a firehouse) in the central and southern US (CSUS) region. A structural modeling method is proposed such that it can be effectively used for fragility analysis without significant increase in computational time, and maintains an acceptable level of accuracy in representing the nonlinear behavior of the structures. A set of fragility curves are developed and include different configurations of the out-of-plane walls and their associated stiffness. The fragility analysis shows that the seismic performance of URM buildings is well below the desirable building seismic performance level recommended by current seismic codes, indicating high vulnerability of URM buildings within the CSUS region. It is also shown that the out-of-plane wall stiffness should not be ignored in the risk assessment of URM buildings because the overall seismic performance of URM buildings is rather sensitive to the out-of-plane wall stiffness. The analytical fragility curves developed are compared with those of HAZUS. The comparison shows that the analytical fragility curves developed have lower variation in the seismic response than those of HAZUS. Several reasons for the discrepancy are discussed. The model-based analytical fragility curves developed in this study can increase the accuracy and effectiveness of seismic risk assessment of essential facilities of the CSUS region. Moreover, the structural modeling method introduced in this study can be effectively used for development of the fragility curves of URM buildings.     

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.