Seismic Assessment of Structures in Regions of Low to Moderate Seismicity
Abstract: Assessment of
structures according to conventional seismic design procedure has been based on
trading off strength and ductility (or displacement) to provide sufficient
energy dissipation capacity to structures. Consequently, structures in regions
of high seismicity are designed to undergo large displacements whilst
maintaining their lateral strengths in an earthquake. Energy demand from a
small to medium earthquake could subside with increasing effective natural
periods. Significantly, the amount of drift imposed on the structures could be
restrained to an upper limit irrespective of the degradation in strength or
stiffness of the lateral load resisting elements. Based on the
displacement-controlled behaviour, structures can be deemed seismically safe
despite having undergone significant degradation in strength and stiffness,
provided that the structures can sustain the maximum drift demand from an
earthquake without collapsing. This paper proposes a simple procedure for the
assessment of structures in regions of low to moderate seismicity. The proposed
procedure will result in significant savings in time and costs particularly
when a large number of structures are to be assessed for their potential
vulnerability in an earthquake.
Author: Lumantarna, E., Lam,
N., Wilson, J
Journal Code: jptsipilgg120034
