| Abstract: | Two regular R/C ten-storey buildings, a frame and a dual (frame + wall) structure are designed and detailed to the 1985 CEB Seismic Code and to the 1995 Eurocode 8, for a design acceleration of 0·25g and the medium ductility level. The two designs are first compared in terms of cost of materials; then their inelastic response to a number of accelerograms normalized to various earthquake intensities, corresponding to different limit states, is analysed. The resulting demands on each building for each earthquake intensity are checked against the corresponding capacities both at the member and at the storey level, thus allowing an assessment of their seismic performance to be made. A superior performance is found in the Eurocode designed structures, especially the frame structure, which is characterized by adequate drift control even under the maximum credible (‘survival’) earthquake; however, a significant difference in the seismic reliability of column critical regions and the remaining parts of the stuctures has to be pointed out. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
