Performance of RC buildings after Kahramanmaraş Earthquakes: lessons toward performance based design

Two simultaneous earthquakes occurred in the Kahramanmaraş-Pazarcık and Kahramanmaraş-Elbistan districts of Turkey on February 6,2023,and with magnitudes of 7.7 and 7.6,respectively.These events caused the highest estimated loss recorded in Turkey within the last century from natural disasters.The key reason for the extensive loss was the proximity of eleven cities to the earthquake epicenters.Middle East Technical University teams investigated the building sites in Gaziantep,Kahramanmaras,Hatay,Adiyaman and Adana.The ground motion recordings revealed that in certain locations of Gaziantep,Kahramanmaraşand Hatay,the ground motion levels exceeded the maximum credible earthquake level defined for a return period of 2,475 years in the Turkish Earthquake Code.Residential building performance was investigated with respect to the construction year,which is a good indicator of compliance with modern seismic codes and inspection procedures.About 97%of the collapsed buildings were constructed prior to 2000,whereas over 5,000 buildings,which were built after 2000,collapsed or required urgent demolition.Most of the buildings with minor or greater structural damage sustained heavy infill wall damage rendering occupancy impossible.Aside from damage in older construction with significant structural deficiencies,the damage in some of the more recent and better constructed buildings was observed to be surprisingly poor.This can be attributed to the level of ground motion,significant ductility demands,poor material and workmanship and damage to non-structural elements.With the estimated total loss of above 100 billion dollars and over 50,000 casualties,the current seismic design criterion based on ductility and acceptance of structural damage should be re-evaluated to ensure a more resilient urban environment in high seismic regions.

Response reduction factor of irregular RC buildings in Kathmandu valley

Most current seismic design includes the nonlinear response of a structure through a response reduction factor （R）. This allows the designer to use a linear elastic force-based approach while accounting for nonlinear behavior and deformation limits. In fact, the response reduction factor is used in modem seismic codes to scale down the elastic response of a structure. This study focuses on estimating the actual ＇R＇ value for engineered design/construction of reinforced concrete （RC） buildings in Kathmandu valley. The ductility and overstrength of representative RC buildings in Kathmandu are investigated. Nonlinear pushover analysis was performed on structural models in order to evaluate the seismic performance of buildings. Twelve representative engineered irregular buildings with a variety of characteristics located in the Kathmandu valley were selected and studied. Furthermore, the effects of overstrength on the ductility factor, beam column capacity ratio on the building ductility, and load path on the response reduction factor, are examined. Finally, the results are further analyzed and compared with different structural parameters of the buildings.

Seismic loss assessment of RC high-rise buildings designed according to Eurocode 8

A probabilistic seismic loss assessment of RC high-rise(RCHR)buildings designed according to Eurocode 8 and located in the Southern Euro-Mediterranean zone is presented herein.The loss assessment methodology is based on a comprehensive simulation approach which takes into account ground motion(GM)uncertainty,and the random effects in seismic demand,as well as in predicting the damage states(DSs).The methodology is implemented on three RCHR buildings of 20-story,30-story and 40-story with a core wall structural system.The loss functions described by a cumulative lognormal probability distribution are obtained for two intensity levels for a large set of simulations(NLTHAs)based on 60 GM records with a wide range of magnitude(M),distance to source(R)and different site soil conditions(SS).The losses expressed in percent of building replacement cost for RCHR buildings are obtained.In the estimation of losses,both structural(S)and nonstructural(NS)damage for four DSs are considered.The effect of different GM characteristics(M,R and SS)on the obtained losses are investigated.Finally,the estimated performance of the RCHR buildings are checked to ensure that they fulfill limit state requirements according to Eurocode 8.

Resilience-based retrofitting of existing urban RC-frame buildings using seismic isolation

The improvement of the seismic resilience of existing reinforced-concrete(RC) frame buildings, which is essential for the seismic resilience of a city, has become a critical issue. Although seismic isolation is an effective method for improving the resilient performance of such buildings, target-oriented quantitative improvements of the resilient performance of these buildings have been reported rarely. To address this gap, the seismic resilience of two existing RC frame buildings located in a high seismic intensity region of China were assessed based on the Chinese Standard for Seismic Resilience Assessment of Buildings. The critical engineering demand parameters(EDPs) affecting the seismic resilience of such buildings were identified. Subsequently, the seismic resilience of buildings retrofitted with different isolation schemes(i.e., yield ratios) were evaluated and compared, with emphasis on the relationships among yield ratios, EDPs, and levels of seismic resilience. Accordingly, to achieve the highest level of seismic resilience with respect to the Chinese standard, a yield ratio of 3% was recommended and successfully applied to the target-oriented design for the seismic-resilience improvement of an existing RC frame building. The research outcome can provide an important reference for the resilience-based retrofitting of existing RC frame buildings using seismic isolation in urban cities.

Effect of URM infills on seismic vulnerability of Indian code designed RC frame buildings

Unreinforced Masonry (URM) is the most common partitioning material in framed buildings in India and many other countries. Although it is well-known that under lateral loading the behavior and modes of failure of the frame buildings change significantly due to infill-frame interaction, the general design practice is to treat infills as nonstructural elements and their stiffness, strength and interaction with the frame is often ignored, primarily because of difficulties in simulation and lack of modeling guidelines in design codes. The Indian Standard, like many other national codes, does not provide explicit insight into the anticipated performance and associated vulnerability of infilled frames. This paper presents an analytical study on the seismic performance and fragility analysis of Indian code-designed RC frame buildings with and without URM infills. Infills are modeled as diagonal struts as per ASCE 41 guidelines and various modes of failure are considered. HAZUS methodology along with nonlinear static analysis is used to compare the seismic vulnerability of bare and infilled frames. The comparative study suggests that URM infills result in a significant increase in the seismic vulnerability of RC frames and their effect needs to be properly incorporated in design codes.

Seismic performance of a reinforced concrete building retrofitted with self-centering shape memory alloy braces

Self-centering earthquake-resistant structures have received increased attention due to their ability to reduce post-earthquake residual deformations and,thus,repair time and cost.This stimulated the development of recentering shape memory alloy(SMA)dampers that use superelastic nitinol wires to dissipate energy and self-center the structure.However,there are still a few case studies applications on full-scale RC buildings in the literature.Moreover,general guidelines or even simplified approaches for the practical design of SMA damped braces are still lacking.This paper focuses on evaluating the effect of using self-centering shape memory alloy dampers for buckling-restrained braces applied for the seismic retrofit of a complex RC building structure.A design method originally proposed for elastoplastic dampers was implemented to size the SMA dampers to be placed on selected spans and stories of a building.The effectiveness of the design procedure was demonstrated by nonlinear time-history analyses under different sets of earthquake strong ground motions.The analysis results show that the recentering shape memory alloy bracing system is effective in limiting the maximum transient inter-story drifts and reducing the residual inter-story drifts after strong seismic events,due to its excellent recentering behavior together with its not negligible energy dissipation capacity.

Investigation of Effects of Capacity Spectrum Method on Performance Evaluation of Multi-Story Buildings According to the IRAQI Seismic Code Requirements

The aim of this study is to assess the performance objectives defined in the Iraqi Seismic Code (ISC) in order to make a realistic evaluation related to Performance-Based Seismic Design (PBSD) of multi-story reinforced concrete buildings and also to compare and evaluate structural response demands obtained from nonlinear static analysis procedures according to two versions of the capacity spectrum method (CSM) which are recommended in ATC 40 and ATC 55. Two groups of three-dimensional RC buildings with different heights, designed according to Iraqi Building Code Requirements for Reinforced Concrete (IBC), are investigated. Pushover analyses are carried out to determine the nonlinear behavior of the buildings under three different seismic hazard levels, for two Iraqi seismic zones, of earthquake loads. In order to determine performance levels of the buildings, maximum inter-story drift demands and plasticizing sequence are determined and compared with the related limits using the CSM recommended in ATC 40 and ATC 55. From the results of this research, it can be concluded that RC buildings designed according to the Iraqi codes sufficiently provide the performance objectives stipulated in the ISC. Comparing structural response quantities obtained from the two versions of CSM, effects on performance evaluations of the buildings are investigated comparatively, as well.

Shaking table test and dynamic response prediction on an earthquake-damaged RC building

This paper presents the results from shaking table tests of a one-tenth-scale reinforced concrete (RC) building model.The test model is a protype of a building that was seriously damaged during the 1985 Mexico earthquake.The input ground excitation used during the test was from the records obtained near the site of the prototype building during the 1985 and 1995 Mexico earthquakes.The tests showed that the damage pattern of the test model agreed well with that of the prototype building.Analytical prediction of earthquake response has been conducted for the prototype building using a sophisticated 3-D frame model.The input motion used for the dynamic analysis was the shaking table test measurements with similarity transformation.The comparison of the analytical results and the shaking table test results indicates that the response of the RC building to minor and the moderate earthquakes can be predicated well.However,there is difference between the predication and the actual response to the major earthquake.

A Comparative Analysis between the Spanish and Portuguese Seismic Codes: Application to a Border RC Primary School

The Iberian Peninsula is close to the Eurasia-Africa plate boundary resulting in a considerable seismic hazard.In fact,the southwestern Iberian Peninsula is affected by far away earthquakes of long-return period with large-very large magnitude.A project named PERSISTAH(Projetos de Escolas Resilientes aos SISmos no Território do Algarve e de Huelva,in Portuguese)aims to cooperatively assess the seismic vulnerability of primary schools located in the Algarve(Portugal)and Huelva(Spain).Primary schools have been selected due to the considerable amount of similar buildings and their seismic vulnerability.In Portugal,the Decreto Lei 235/83(RSAEEP)is mandatory while in Spain,the mandatory code is the Seismic Building Code(NCSE-02).In both countries,the Eurocode-8(EC-8)is recommended.Despite the fact that both regions would be equally affected by an earthquake,both seismic codes are significantly different.This research compares the seismic action of Ayamonte(Huelva)and Vila Real de Santo António(Portugal).Both towns are very close and located at both sides of the border.Moreover,they share the same geology.This analysis has been applied considering a reinforced concrete(RC)primary school building located in Huelva.To do so,the performance-based method has been used.The seismic action and the damage levels are compared and analysed.The results have shown considerable differences in the seismic actions designation,in the performance point values and in the damage levels.The values considered in the Portuguese code are significantly more unfavourable.An agreement between codes should be made for border regions.

Effect of Lead-Rubber Bearing Isolators in Reducing Seismic Damage for a High-Rise Building in Comparison with Normal Shear Wall System

Seismic earthquakes are a real danger for the construction evolution of high rise buildings.The rate of earthquakes around the world is noteworthy in a wide range of construction areas.In this study,we present the dynamic behavior of a high-rise RC building with dynamic isolators(lead-rubber-bearing),in comparison with a traditional shear wall system of the same building.Seismic isolation has been introduced in building construction to increase the structural stability and to protect the non-structural components against the damaging effects of an earthquake.In order to clarify the influence of incorporating lead rubber bearing isolators in the seismic response and in reducing seismic damages;a comparative study is performed between a fixed base system(shear wall system)and an isolated base system(Lead Rubber Bearing)on an irregular high rise reinforced concrete(RC)building located in Beirut consisting of 48 storeys almost asymmetric orthogonally.For this purpose,a non-linear analysis of a real earthquake acceleration record(EI Centro seismic signal)is conducted,so that the mode shapes,the damping ratio and the natural frequencies of the two models are obtained using ETABS software.The results prove a substantial elongation of the building period,as well as a reduction in the building displacement,the roof acceleration,the inter-storey drift ratio and the base shear force of isolated building relative to fixed-base building.This study proves that this technology is applicable to high rise buildings with acceptable results.