Keywords: reinforced concrete, non-conforming, seismic design, ductility, failure, infills.

The response under earthquake excitation and corresponding analytical prediction of existing reinforced concrete frames, infilled with unreinforced masonry infills, is examined. Under this broad classification are included the non-conforming, reinforced concrete structures, designed and constructed in seismic regions after World War II, primarily from the early 1950s and up to the end of the 1990s and, in some regions, more recently. These structures have been constructed using substandard materials and were designed for gravity loads only or using low seismic base shear coefficients. Furthermore, no specific design and detailing requirements were included, for the prevention of brittle failure and enhancement of their ductility. Characteristic methods of construction and types of structural morphology are reviewed and their seismic performance is examined, based on an evaluation of typical damage in past earthquakes and on finite element analysis predictions, using both macromodel and micromodel discretizations. The inelastic response is evaluated under both static and dynamic excitation, considering global as well as local failure criteria. At the same time, the reliability of the conventional failure mode prediction methods is examined, using detailed finite element models.

purchase the full-text of this chapter (price £20)

go to the previous chapter
go to the next chapter
return to the table of contents
return to the book description
purchase this book (price £95 +P&P)