Damage-control Seismic Design of Moment-resisting RC Frame Buildings

Abstract

In this study, a new seismic design method for directly and efficiently controlling damage to structural and non-structural components of moment-resisting reinforced concrete (RC) frame buildings is developed. The global seismic damage index, which considers the effect of accumulative damage, and the inter-story drift ratio are applied as the performance indexes for structural and non-structural components, respectively. As the base of this method, the seismic damage model, the determination of the seismic strength demand, and seismic performance objectives are first introduced. Then, the detailed design procedures of this method are presented. Finally, as a case study, the seismic design of a typical 6-story moment-resisting RC frame building structure is provided following this new method. The seismic performance of the designed structure is evaluated under different levels of earthquake by conducting a nonlinear time history analysis. The results indicate that the predetermined seismic performance objectives of the structure as designed in accordance with the proposed method can be achieved with great efficiency.