Comparative Assessment of Collapse Safety of Reinforced-Concrete Moment Frame Buildings

Abstract eng:
This paper examines the seismic collapse risk of reinforced concrete moment frame buildings in the U.S., including modern and older existing structures designed for high seismic regions of California, as well as modern code-conforming structures designed for lower seismic regions in the central and eastern U.S. Employing state-of-the-art performance-based earthquake engineering techniques, significant component deterioration and overall structural collapse behavior are assessed using nonlinear dynamic analysis. The collapse assessment incorporates variability in ground motions and uncertainties in structural behavior and modeling. Life safety issues are further considered by relating structural collapse to the fatality risk to building occupants. Comparisons of collapse and fatality risks between buildings designed according to current (2005) building codes and older (1967) codes indicate that improvements to building code requirements have reduced risks by about a factor of 25 times. Comparisons between modern buildings designed with ductile details for high seismic regions have about the same collapse risks as modern buildings designed with limited ductility for low seismic regions.

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