Summary Shaking table tests were conducted on a scaled reinforced concrete waffle–flat plate structure. It represented a conventional construction design under current building codes in the Mediterranean area. The test structure was subjected to a sequence of four seismic simulations of increasing magnitude. Each simulation was associated with a seismic hazard level characterized by the mean return period PR. The test structure performed well for the simulations associated with PR = 95, 475 and 975 years but collapsed under the maximum considered earthquake of PR = 2475 years. Damage concentrated at column bases, where the maximum chord rotation reached 93% of the ultimate capacity, and at the transverse beams of the exterior plate‐to‐column connection that failed in torsion. It is shown that most (from 85% to 90%) of the energy input by the earthquake that contributes to damage is dissipated by the plate. The capacity curve of the tested structure estimated from the experimental base shear vs. top displacement relationship allowed us to compute the overstrength (1.4). It is close to the maximum established by European code EN 1998‐1 (1.5). Based on a detailed study of the test results, potential updates to current codes and design recommendations are suggested. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The city of Lorca (Spain) was hit on May 11th, 2011, by two consecutive earthquakes of magnitudes 4.6 and 5.2 M w , causing casualties and important damage in buildings. Many of the damaged structures were reinforced concrete frames with wide beams. This study quantifies the expected level of damage on this structural type in the case of the Lorca earthquake by means of a seismic index /" that compares the energy input by the earthquake with the energy absorption/dissipation capacity of the structure. The prototype frames investigated represent structures designed in two time periods (1994-2002 and 2003-2008), in which the applicable codes were different. The influence of the masonry infill walls and the proneness of the frames to concentrate damage in a given story were further investigated through nonlinear dynamic response analyses. It is found that (1) the seismic index method predicts levels of damage that range from moderate/severe to complete collapse; this prediction is consistent with the observed damage; (2) the presence of masonry infill walls makes the structure very prone to damage concentration and reduces the overall seismic capacity of the building; and (3) a proper hierarchy of strength between beams and columns that guarantees the formation of a strong column-weak beam mechanism (as prescribed by seismic codes), as well as the adoption of counter-measures to avoid the negative interaction between non-structural infill walls and the main frame, would have reduced the level of damage from I v = l (collapse) to about /" = 0.5 (moderate/severe damage).

Summary Reinforced concrete waffle‐flat plate (WFP) structures present 2 important drawbacks for use as a main seismic resisting system: low lateral stiffness and limited ductility. Yet the former can serve a positive purpose when, in parallel, the flexible WFP structure is combined with a stiff system lending high‐energy dissipation capacity, to form a “flexible‐stiff mixed structure.” This paper experimentally investigates the seismic performance of WFP structures (flexible system) equipped with hysteretic dampers (stiff system) through shake‐table tests conducted on a 2/5‐scale test specimen. The WFP structure was designed only for gravitational loads. The lateral strength and stiffness provided by the dampers at each story were, respectively, about 3 and 7 times greater than those of the bare WFP structure. The mixed system was subjected to a sequence of seismic simulations representing frequent to very rare ground motions. Under the seismic simulations associated with earthquakes having return periods ranging from 93 to 1894 years, the WFP structure performed in the level of “immediate occupancy,” with maximum interstory drifts up to about 1%. The dampers dissipated most (75%) of the energy input by the earthquake.

No abstract