Seismic Fragility Analysis of High-Rise RC Box-Type Wall Building Structures

Abstract

Observations of the damages to high-rise reinforced concrete (RC) wall building structures caused by by recent earthquakes in Chile (Mw 8.8, February 2010) and New Zealand (February 2011, ML 6.3) have generally exceeded expectations. Firstly, this study estimated the seismic damage levels of 15-story RC box-type wall building structures using the analytical models calibrated by the results of a shaking table test on a 1:5 scale 10-story RC box-type wall building model. Then, the seismic fragility analysis of the prototype model was conducted by using the SAC/FEMA method and the incremental dynamic analysis (IDA). To compensate for the uncertainties and variability of ground motion and its impacts on the prototype model, in the SAC/FEMA method, a total of 61 ground motion records were selected from 20 earthquakes, with a magnitude ranging from 5.9 to 8.8 and an epicentral distance ranging from 5 to 105km. In the IDA, a total of 11 ground motion records were used based on the uniform hazard response spectrum representing a return period of 2,475 years. As a result, the probabilities that the limits of the serviceability, damage control, and collapse prevention would be exceeded were as follows: from the SAC/FEMA method: 79%, 0.3%, and 0%, respectively; and from the IDA: 57%, 1.7%, and 0%, respectively.