The Earthquake Engineering Online Archive

An evaluation of some methods for predicting seismic behavior of reinforced concrete buildings

Mahin, Stephen A.; Bertero, Vitelmo V.

UCB/EERC-75/05, Earthquake Engineering Research Center, University of California, Berkeley, 1975-02, 360 pages (530/M2/1975)

This report investigates the seismic behavior of three reinforced concrete buildings that suffered significant structural damage during recent earthquakes. Two computer programs are developed for assessing the nonlinear dynamic response of reinforced concrete buildings subjected to strong earthquake ground motions. The ability of these nonlinear analytical techniques, as well as conventional linear elastic methods, to identify the principal parameters that controlled the seismic behavior of these prototype structures is evaluated. One of the computer programs developed during this investigation quantitatively evaluates the nonlinear characteristics of critical regions in reinforced concrete flexural members and estimates their ability to sustain inelastic deformations. The effects of axial load, spalling, and shear forces on the flexural characteristics of these regions are considered in the computer program for the case of monotonic loading. The other computer program developed permits analysis of the nonlinear dynamic response of buildings idealized as two-dimensional rectangular frames composed of discrete beam, column and diagonal bracing members. Simplified bilinear, hysteretic member mechanical behavioral models are developed based on sectional stiffness properties obtained for the critical regions subjected to monotonic loading. A number of recommendations for improving seismic resistant design procedures are presented.

Available online: http://nisee.berkeley.edu/documents/EERC/EERC-75-05.pdf (26 MB)