Experimental and numerical investigation of a reinforced concrete building designed for gravity loads only

Abstract eng:
The paper focuses on the study of reinforced concrete structures that follow construction practices typical of the fifties and the sixties in Southern Europe. Both experimental and analytical results are presented for a three-storey building that was tested on the shake table of TREES laboratory at EUCENTRE in Pavia, Italy. The building was dynamically tested using the Montenegro 1979 ground motion record (Herceg-Novi station), scaled to different levels of PGA to observe the progressive damage mode and the overall capacity deterioration of the building. The experimental data is compared with numerically obtained results using a force-based, fiber beam-column element. Response parameters such as damage distribution and drift capacity are analysed to identify the limitations of numerical modelling approaches with respect to the engineering demand parameters investigated. The observations made regarding our ability to predict the capacity of reinforced concrete structures that have been designed only for gravity loads are expected to further improve the performance and vulnerability assessment tools typically adopted for existing buildings.

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