Seismic fragility curves for mid-rise reinforced concrete framed structures with different lateral loads resisting systems

Abstract

The current study presents lateral load analysis of mid-rise reinforced concrete framed structures with two different lateral load resisting systems; shear walls and rigid marginal beams. The main objective here is to investigate the influence of the location of the system in the structure; i.e. arrangement of shear walls and level of the marginal beam. For that purpose, seismic fragility curves are used as an assessment tool for comparing the seismic performance of the studied structures in different situations. Incremental dynamic analysis was performed under ten ground motions to determine the yielding and collapse capacity of each building. Five performance levels were considered in the analysis. These performance levels are (i) operational, (ii) immediate occupancy, (iii) damage control, (iv) life safety and (v) collapse prevention. Fragility curves were developed for the structural models of the studied structures considering the previously mentioned performance levels. It was observed that arrangement of shear walls on the long direction of the structure has insignificant effects on its performance while interior shear walls provide the best behavior of the structure compared to exterior shear walls only and distributing shear walls internally and externally. The analysis outcomes also indicated that the presence of the rigid marginal beam in the lower storey gives more efficiency regarding to lateral loads resistance in the studied structure.

Improving Seismic Vulnerability of Irregular Reinforced Concrete Moment-Resisting Frames using Shear Walls

“…In construction engineering, the use of shear walls is a highly functional alternative for improving the resistance of structures to lateral and gravity loads. Shear walls are essential for achieving very good performance under extreme load conditions (28). Also, shear wall systems offer greater lateral rigidity to effectively reduce displacement and maintain the structural integrity during earthquake events (29).…”