Optimization of infill panel for seismic response of multi-story RC frame buildings utilizing multi criteria optimization technique

Abstract

For seismic excitations with different intensities, the performance-based seismic design concept is essential for designers to accurately control the level of damage and keep overall seismic response of buildings within acceptable limits. In order to investigate the feasible solution-set for many real large-scale buildings such as tall buildings and large-span bridges subjected to dynamic loads, an experimental test of such a large-scale physical model is necessary but it is too expensive to conduct such a test for only one prototype. Recently, optimization of the performance-based seismic design for the large-scale structures such as multi-story RC frames is considered by engineers to obtain the optimal and rapid solution. This paper presents a technique for multi criteria analysis, which involves an inelastic analysis and dynamic response of the infill RC frames in the optimization process. The optimal geometric and mechanical properties of infill panel were investigated to improve the seismic performance of a 12-story RC infill frame. As a typical construction process in Egypt, the 12-story RC frame is introduced as a real-life large-scale case study. The parameter space investigation method was adopted along with use of IDARC-2D software for inelastic damage analysis and the visual basic programing language to establish the feasible and Pareto solution-set for the studied frames. The successful integration of inelastic damage analysis and the parameter space investigation method shows great potential to utilize the multi-criteria optimization method for large-scale structures to obtain the Pareto optimal-set in the future. The study concludes that the optimization of geometric and mechanical properties of infill panel is essential and significantly improves the seismic response and damage index of the infill RC frames.