A Practitioner’s Perspective on the Benefits and Shortcomings of the Use of Nonlinear Analysis for the Seismic Evaluation and Rehabilitation of Existing Structures

Abstract eng:
The idea of using nonlinear analysis for the seismic evaluation of structures became a goal early in the development of earthquake engineering, after the acknowledgement that nonlinear behavior of structures had a major impact on their seismic response. The practical application of nonlinear analysis, however, had to wait until reasonable consensus was gathered regarding the adequate methodologies, computers were powerful enough to carry on these more complex analyses, and enough data was collected to reliably model different structural components in a non-linear fashion. We are seeing now that all three aspects are materializing and, consequently, the use of nonlinear techniques for the seismic evaluation of structures has become viable. This paper addresses the benefits and shortcomings found during the implementation of this technique in actual seismic evaluation and rehabilitation projects, and it is built upon the experience gained in numerous projects conducted by the authors in the last few years. It was found that the greatest benefit is that the insight into seismic response gained using this tool far exceeds what a linear-elastic analysis can deliver. There are however difficulties that need to be dealt with carefully, such as the extent of the effort to create a reliable nonlinear model, and deficiencies in current guidelines. One of the major problems with current guidelines is that they were not thoroughly developed using a “nonlinear” mindset which, was found, may have serious consequences in the implementation of a project of this type. Another substantial challenge with complex nonlinear analysis is the difficulty in validating computer results with a “gut feel” using simple engineering tools. The paper elaborates on these and other aspects brought about by past experience of the authors with projects of this type.

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