Framework to assess the seismic performance of non-engineered masonry infilled RC frame buildings accounting for material uncertainty

Abstract

Non-engineered construction accounts for more than half of the building stock in low and middle-income countries. A significant portion of these buildings is constructed using masonry infilled reinforced concrete (RC) frames with inadequate seismic detailing. This type of construction is prone to high levels of variability in the material properties, posing a significant challenge in their seismic performance evaluation. This research proposes a framework to assess the seismic performance of non-engineered constructed masonry infilled RC frame buildings, which considers the material uncertainty. A four-stage procedure based on Monte Carlo simulations is introduced, wherein engineering demand parameters and seismic performance are expressed in terms of probability distributions. The framework is demonstrated using a non-engineered housing archetype located in Sincelejo, Colombia. The results showed that the framework allows capturing the uncertainty in the materials construction variability of non-engineered houses. The results also showed that mean values of material properties may lead to significant errors in the seismic performance assessment of non-engineered constructed masonry infilled RC frames. The differences between the predicted minimum and maximum exceedance probabilities of a damage state can be greater than 80%.