Evaluating the response modification factor (R) for reinforced concrete and steel structures equipped with TADAS devices designed for high seismic hazard in Colombia

Abstract

Colombia is a country with high seismic activity due to its location at the convergence of the Nazca and South American tectonic plates, making structural safety a key priority in the design, construction, and retrofit of buildings. Currently, one of the most used seismic resistance systems are moment-resisting frames, due to their easy construction and good behavior under vertical loads, however, they are susceptible to structural damage when subjected to moderate to high-intensity earthquakes, which makes the use of seismic protection systems an adequate alternative to prevent damage during seismic events. The Colombian seismic design code NSR-10 proposes a design methodology using a linear structure that represents a non-linear behavior of the building when the expected design earthquake occurs through the response modification factor R. However, the NSR-10 seismic design code does not contemplate the response modification factor for structures with seismic protection systems. Therefore, in this research, a design procedure was configured for buildings with moment-resisting frames of reinforced concrete and steel equipped with TADAS (triangular-plate added damping and stiffness) dampers. The procedure evaluated the developed response modification factor of structures located in high seismic hazard areas in Colombia and considered regular buildings with varying numbers of stories and special energy dissipation capacity. The capacity of the structures was evaluated through nonlinear static analysis using the Pushover method in SAP2000 software. Finally, the response modification factors were calculated for regular buildings with moment-resisting frames and different numbers of stories.