DOI: 10.5176/2301-394X_ACE14.13
Authors: Ajay Kumar Sinha
Abstract:
Seismic Vulnerability Assessment and Retrofitting of Existing Buildings is a key area in Civil Engineering in general and Earthquake Engineering in particular. Earthquakes find weaknesses left behind by us in structures. Seismic damage concentrated at weak zones of structure speaks of as a report by a perfectionist ‘The Nature’. The fact is beyond any doubt that the widespread damage to structures and immense losses are not due to just natural act but due to either our negligence or our ignorance. Earthquake Engineers can contribute in the noble cause of seismic disaster mitigation by assessing seismic vulnerability of existing buildings and providing the structure safe capacities against the anticipated demands during expected ground motion. The paper is in the direction discussed above. There are scores of reasons for seismic vulnerability of existing infilled RCMRF buildings. Merits and demerits of having infill and its impact over the seismic performance have been enumerated in the paper.
The earthquake resistant philosophy being practiced all over the world accepts structure going well into inelastic zone during strong motion. A method centered on Pushover analysis has been proposed to quantify structural response in inelastic zone in view to assess seismic vulnerability. RC MRF with masonry infills presents very different situation, which warrants third tier of assessment methods. Study of uniform and non-uniform distribution of masonry infills using the Pushover based method provides enough guidelines to refine and supplement our knowledge in dealing with such structures as a rational seismic vulnerability leads to appropriate retrofit strategy for the existing structures
Keywords: Reinforced Concrete Moment Resisting Frame, infill, Static pushover analysis, retrofitting
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