Analysis of the Effect of Column-to-Beam Strength Ratio on Seismic Performance of RC Frame Structure

Abstract

Strong column-weak beam is one of the important concepts in seismic design of RC frame structure. The experience of earthquake damage shows that the structure designed according to the existing codes cannot achieve the expected failure mode of strong column-weak beam due to the effects of factors such as axial compression ratio, slab and so on. In this paper, the RC frame structures are designed with column-to-beam strength ratio of 1.2, 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0, and the structural responses are obtained using Push-over analysis. The effect of column-to-beam strength ratio on failure modes of RC frame structure is studied. The results show that the existence of slab affects the yield mechanism of steel bars in beams and columns, and further affects the possible failure modes of structures. In case of considering slab, increasing column-to-beam strength ratio can effectively enhance structural seismic capacity. The failure mode of strong column and weak beam can be achieved when the column-to-beam strength ratio is 1.8.