• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.75 no.2
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• pp.211-227
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• 2020

The contribution of infill wall is generally not considered in the structural analysis of reinforced concrete (RC) structures due to the lack of knowledge of the complex behavior of the infilled frame of RC structures. However, one of the significant factors affecting structural behavior and earthquake performance of RC structures is the infill wall. Considering structural and architectural features of RC structures, any infill wall may have openings with different amounts and aspect ratios. In the present study, the influence of infill walls with different opening rates on the structural behaviors and earthquake performance of existing RC structures were evaluated. Therefore, the change in the opening ratio in the infill wall has been investigated for monitoring the change in structural behavior and performance of the RC structures. The earthquake performance levels of existing RC structures with different structural properties were determined by detecting the damage levels of load-carrying components. The results of the analyzes indicate that the infill wall can completely change the distribution of column and beam damage level. It was observed that the openings in the walls had serious impact on the parameters affecting the behavior and earthquake performance of the RC structures. The infill walls have a beneficial effect on the earthquake performance of RC structures, provided they are placed regularly and there are appropriate openings rate throughout the RC structures and they do not cause structural irregularities.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.89-110
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• 2014

Nonlinear dynamic analyses are carried out to investigate the influence of the pinching hysteretic response of the exterior RC beam-column joints on the seismic behavior of multistory RC frame structures. The effect of the pinching on the local and global mechanisms of an 8-storey bare frame and an 8-storey pilotis type frame structure is evaluated. Further, an experimental data bank extracted from literature is used to acquire experimental experience of the range of the real levels that have to be considered for the pinching effect on the hysteretic response of the joints. Thus, three different cases for the hysteretic response of the joints are considered: (a) joints with strength and stiffness degradation characteristics but without pinching effect, (b) joints with strength degradation, stiffness degradation and low pinching effect and (c) joints with strength degradation, stiffness degradation and high pinching effect. For the simulation of the beam-column joints a special-purpose rotational spring element that incorporates the examined hysteretic options developed by the authors and implemented in a well-known nonlinear dynamic analysis program is employed for the analysis of the structural systems. The results of this study indicate that the effect of pinching on the local and global responses of the examined cases is not really significant at early stages of the seismic loading and especially in the cases when strength degradation in the core of exterior joint has occurred. Nevertheless in the cases when strength degradation does not occur in the joints the pinching may increase the demands for ductility and become critical for the columns at the base floor of the frame structures. Finally, as it was expected the ability for energy absorption was reduced due to pinching effect.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.563-577
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• 2022

This paper presents experimental and numerical investigations of a new seismic enhancement method for existing reinforced concrete (RC) frames by using an external sub-structure, the hybrid seismic retrofit method (HSRM) system. This retrofit system is an H-shaped frame bolt-connected to an existing RC frame with an infilled-concrete layer between their gaps. Two RC frames were built, one with and one without HSRM, and tested under cyclic loading. The experimental findings showed that the retrofitted RC frame was superior to the non-retrofitted specimen in terms of initial stiffness, peak load, and energy dissipation capacity. A numerical simulation using a commercial program was employed for verification with the experiments. The results obtained from the simulations were consistent with those from the experiments, indicating the finite element (FE) models can simulate the seismic behaviors of bare RC frame and retrofitted RC frame using HSRM.

• Proceedings of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea Conference
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• 2003.03a
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• pp.321-328
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• 2003

The objective of this study is to investigate the seismic response of high-rise RC bearing-wall structures with irregularity. For this purpose, three 1:12 scale 17-story reinforced concrete model structures were constructed according to the similitude law, in which the upper 15 stories have a bearing-wall system while the lower 2-story frames have three different layouts of the plan : The first one is a moment-resisting frame system, the second has a infilled shear wall with symmetric plan and the third has a infilled shear wall with eccentricity, Then, these models were subjected to a series of earthquake excitations. The test results show the followings: 1) the existence of shear wall reduced greatly shear deformation at the piloti frame, but has almost the negligible effect on the reduction of the overturning-moment angle, 2) the frame with shear wall resists most of overturning moment in severe earthquake, 3) the torsional behavior is almost independent of the translational, 4) the absorbed energy due to the overturning deformation has the largest portion in the total absorbed energy.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.375-390
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• 2015

Staircase is a vertical transportation element commonly used in every multistoried structure. Inclined flights of staircase are usually casted monolithically with RC frame. The structural configuration of stairs generally introduces discontinuities into the typical regular reinforced concrete frame composed of beams and columns. Inclined position of flight transfers both vertical as well as horizontal forces in the frame. Under lateral loading, staircase in a multistory RC frame building develops truss action creating a local stiffening effect. In case of seismic event the stiff area around staircase attracts larger force. Therefore, special attention is required while modeling and analyzing the building with staircase. However, in general design practice, designers usually ignore the staircase while modeling either due to ignorance or to avoid complexity. A numerical study has been conducted to examine the effect of ignoring staircase in modeling and design of RC frame buildings while they are really present in structure, may be at different locations. Linear dynamic analysis is performed on nine separate building models to evaluate influence of staircase on dynamic characteristics of building, followed by nonlinear static analysis on the same models to access their seismic performance. It is observed that effect of ignoring staircase in modeling is severe and leads to unsafe structure. Effect of location and orientation of staircase is also important in determining seismic performance of RC frame buildings.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.75 no.3
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• pp.389-399
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• 2020

An infill wall made of high-performance fiber-reinforced cementitious composites (HPFRCC) was utilized in this study to strengthen the reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures that had not been designed for seismic loads. The seismic performance of the RC frame structures strengthened by the HPFRCC infill walls was investigated through the experimental tests, and the test results showed that they have improved strength and deformation capabilities compared to that strengthened by the RC infill wall. A simple numerical modeling method, called the modified longitudinal and diagonal line element model (LDLEM), was introduced to consider the seismic strengthening effect of the infill walls, in which a section aggregator approach was also utilized to reflect the effect of shear in the column members of the RC frames. The proposed model showed accurate estimations on the strength, stiffness, and failure modes of the test specimens strengthened by the infill walls with and without fibers.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.74 no.6
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• pp.821-832
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• 2020

The fundamental period is an important parameter for seismic design and seismic risk assessment of building structures. In this paper, a simplified theoretical method to predict the fundamental period of masonry infilled reinforced concrete (RC) frame is developed based on the basic theory of engineering mechanics. The different configurations of the RC frame as well as masonry walls were taken into account in the developed method. The fundamental period of the infilled structure is calculated according to the integration of the lateral stiffness of the RC frame and masonry walls along the height. A correction coefficient is considered to control the error for the period estimation, and it is determined according to the multiple linear regression analysis. The corrected formula is verified by shaking table tests on two masonry infilled RC frame models, and the errors between the estimated and test period are 2.3% and 23.2%. Finally, a probability-based method is proposed for the corrected formula, and it allows the structural engineers to select an appropriate fundamental period with a certain safety redundancy. The proposed method can be quickly and flexibly used for prediction, and it can be hand-calculated and easily understood. Thus it would be a good choice in determining the fundamental period of RC frames infilled with masonry wall structures in engineering practice instead of the existing methods.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.635-647
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• 2018

In order to improve the efficiency of the Reinforced Concrete, RC, structures against progressive collapse, this paper proposes a procedure using alternate path and specific local resistance method to resist progressive collapse in intermediate RC frame structures. Cap truss consists of multiple trusses above a suddenly removed structural element to restrain excessive collapse and provide an alternate path. Steel strut is used as a brace to resist compressive axial forces. It is similar to knee braces in the geometry, responsible for enhancing ductility and preventing shear force localization around the column. In this paper, column removals in the critical position at the first story of two 5 and 10-story regular buildings strengthened using steel strut or cap truss are studied. Based on nonlinear dynamic analysis results, steel strut can only decrease vertical displacement due to sudden removal of the column at the first story about 23%. Cap truss can reduce the average vertical displacement and column axial force transferred to adjacent columns for the studied buildings about 56% and 61%, respectively due to sudden removal of the column. In other words, using cap truss, the axial force in the removed column transfers through an alternate path to adjacent columns to prevent local or general failure or to delay the progressive collapse occurrence.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.177-186
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• 2023

Reinforced concrete frames with a masonry infill panel is a structural typology frequently used worldwide. In seismic cases, the interaction between the masonry infill and the RC frames constitutes one of the most complex subjects in earthquake engineering. In this work, an enhancement of an existing numerical model is proposed to improve the estimation of lateral strength and stiffness of masonry-infilled frame structures and predict their probable failure modes. The proposed improvement is based on attributing corrective coefficients to the shear strength of each diagonal shear spring of the macro element, which simulates the masonry infill. The improved numerical model is validated by comparing the results with those of the original numerical model and with experimental results available in the literature. The enhanced macro element model can be used as a powerful, accessible tool for assessing the capacity and stiffness of masonry-infilled frame structures and predicting their probable failure modes.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.555-565
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• 2020

The main objective of seismic codes is to prevent structural collapse and ensure life safety. Collapse probability of a structure is usually assessed by making a series of analytical model assumptions. This paper investigates the effect of finite element modeling (FEM) assumptions on the estimated collapse capacity of a reinforced concrete (RC) frame building and points out the modeling limitations. Widely used element formulations and hysteresis models are considered in the analysis. A full-scale, three-story RC frame building was utilized as the experimental model. Alternative finite element models are established by adopting a range of different modeling strategies. Using each model, the collapse capacity of the structure is evaluated via Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA). Results indicate that the analytically estimated collapse capacities are significantly sensitive to the utilized modeling approaches. Furthermore, results also show that models that represent stiffness degradation lead to a better correlation between the actual and analytical responses. Results of this study are expected to be useful for in developing proper models for assessing the collapse probability of RC frame structures.