Vulnerability of high-rise buildings in medium seismicity regions

Abstract EN

This study addresses the vulnerability of high-rise RC buildings in medium seismicity regions to all viable design Earthquake scenarios at the construction site.

These include server e earthquake with a long epicentral distance and medium events with shorts source-to-site distance.

A case study is investigated ; a 54-story RC residential building in a region with medium seismic exposure.

In the light of the fact that the three-dimensional inelastic time-history analysis is particularly demanding for this type of structures, a detailed 2D idealization capable of representing the spread of inelasticity during the entire multi-step analysis is adopted.

Based on a rigorous hazard study, a set of seven natural and synthetic records was selected to represent the abovementioned seismic scenarios.

A number of criteria are employed to define the response limit states on the member and the structure levels.

Several types of analyses including inelastic pushover and response-history analyses are conducted to predict of the capacity and the seismic demand of the structure.

The study indicated that the contribution of higher modes of vibration is more signification compared with that of the fundamental mode even under the effect of long period events.

Contrary to the short site-to-source events, distant earthquake produce the maximum demand and amplify, with various levels, vibrations in the fundamental mode of the structure.

The study, which is feasible for several countries in the middle east, emphasizes the need for considering all possible seismic scenarios for similar structure and sites.