Buildings with torsional irregularity represent the main focus of many current investigations. However, despite this volume of research, there is no established framework that describes adequately the seismic vulnerability of reinforced concrete shear wall systems. In this study, the three-dimensional behavior of a particular shear-wall structure under earthquake effects was examined with regard to the nonlinear behavior of the reinforced concrete assembly and the parameters that characterize the structure exposed to seismic motion for damage assessment. A three story reinforced concrete shear-wall building was analyzed using the finite element method based ANSYS software. The scaled model building was subjected to shaking table tests at Saclay, France. The project was led by the Atomic Energy Agency (CEA Saclay, France) under the &ldquo / SMART 2008 Project.&rdquo / The investigation was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, the results of the finite element method and experiments were examined, and were reported in this study. For time history analysis, micro-modeling was preferred due to allowing inclusion the nonlinear effects of concrete and steel for analysis. The guiding parameters (acceleration, displacement, strain) of analytical results are compared with the corresponding values that were measured in the experiments to be able to quantify the validity of models and simulation. For the comparison of v the numerical model results with the experimental results FDE (Frequency Domain Error) method was used. After comparison of the numerical model results with the experimental results, the second phase of the SMART 2008 Project was undertaken. The second phase consisted of two parts summarized as &ldquo / Sensitivity Study&rdquo / and &ldquo / Vulnerability Analyses&rdquo / . However, in this report only the sensitivity study and fragility analyses will be reported. Sensitivity study was done to understand which parameters affect the response of the structure. Twelve parametric cases were investigated under two different ground motions. Different behavior parameters were investigated. The effective damping coefficient was found to affect the structural response at 0.2 g design level as well as at 0.6 g over-design level. At the design level, it was observed that elasticity modulus of concrete and additional masses on the specimen determined as effective on the calculated results. To derive the failure probabilities of this structure under various earthquake forces for the given limit states, fragility curves were obtained. Different seismic indicators such as PGA (Peak ground acceleration), PGV (Peak ground velocity), PGD (Peak ground displacement) and CAV (Cumulative absolute velocity) were used as seismic indicators and MISD (Maximum interstory drift) were used as damage indicator for fragility curves. In all 30 time history analyses were done. Regression analyses using least squares method were performed to determine the median capacity and its deviation. Correlation coefficients of the time history data versus fitted curves obtained from the regression analyses changes between 0.65 and 0.99. The lower cases were for PGD- MISD graphs. The scatter of the fragility curves calculated for each damage limit was slightly wider. HAZUS MH MR1 (2003) damage states were also used for the calculation of the fragility curves and compared with the SMART 2008 damage states.

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the inelastic action in the reinforced concrete frame-wall structures analytically and with that analysis to follow the plastic formation of the structure. For this purpose, six mid-rise reinforced concrete buildings with frame-wall are modeled and analyzed to understand the effect of the height and base shear force ratio of the wall on the nonlinear interaction between reinforced concrete wall and frame members under static lateral loads and ground motion excitations. The parametric analysis is conducted by assuming planar response of the buildings under loadings. The buildings are generated considering the limit design concept suggested by Turkish Earthquake Code 2007 and Turkish Standards TS500, and the frame-wall members are modeled by using spread plasticity elements and fiber discretization of sections. In the analysis stage, each element section is divided into confined and unconfined regions for detailed modeling of the building by using OpenSEES nonlinear finite element program. Two dimensional analyses are conducted under static and dynamic loadings. For static pushover analyses, three different lateral load cases (Triangular, Uniform and First-Mode Lateral Load Patterns) are considered. For dynamic analyses, eight different ground motions are used. These ground motions are scaled to the corresponding design response spectrum suggested by Turkish Earthquake Code 2007 by using RSPMATCH program. Using the result of the complex and simplified analyses, inter-story drift ratios, plastic rotations and internal force distributions of the buildings are investigated.

Simulating the non-linear response of reinforced concrete (RC) buildings subjected to a sequence of input earthquake records, is an extremely complex concern in the field of the Earthquake Engineering. Buildings with no symmetry in plan have much more complicated behavior under earthquake effects than symmetric buildings. Torsional irregularity in plan is the main topic of many current researches. In previous decades, considerable amount of numerical and experimental studies have been conducted, but more researches are needed in order to confirm a better understanding of the concept of seismic behavior of these structures. In this study modeling and analyses efforts to simulate the experimental response of a scaled three dimensional reinforced concrete shear wall structure tested on a shaking table, are presented. The model structure is a &frac14 / scale of a three story reinforced concrete building that has torsion due to plan irregularity and layout of structural walls. In order to simulate response quantities measured for the specimen tested on a shaking table, a series of non-linear time history analyses were performed. This structure subjected to AZALEE shaking table tests in Saclay, France under the project of &ldquo / SMART 2008&rdquo / which was led by CEA (Atomic energy agency). The model building was tested under a set of bi-directional synthetic and real ground motions that have varying intensities, peak ground accelerations ranging from 0.1g to 1g. Ground motions were applied sequentially to the specimen, starting with the one having the smallest intensity. Displacements and accelerations measured at different locations on the plan at third story were compared with the numerically computed values in order to check the validity of the Finite Element Model that has been obtained in ANSYS ver.12.1.

The goal of this study is to design and evaluate economic and rapid seismic retrofit strategies for relatively small rehabilitation projects for steel structures consistent with the tenets of sustainable design. The need to retrofit existing structures in earthquake prone regions may arise directly from the problem of aging and deteriorating conditions, recognition of the vulnerability of existing infrastructure, from updates in seismic code requirements, or changes in building performance objectives. Traditional approaches to seismic hazard mitigation have focused reducing the failure probabilities, consequences from failures, and time to recovery. Such paradigms had been established with little regard to the impact of their rehabilitation measures on the environment and disruptions to occupants. The rapid rehabilitation strategies proposed here have sustainability benefits in terms of providing a more resilient building stock for our communities as well as minimizing environmental and economical impacts and social consequences during the rehabilitation project. To achieve these goals, a unique approach to design supplemental systems using tension-only elements is proposed. In this design approach undesirable global and local buckling are eliminated. Two rapid rehabilitation strategies are presented. The first is a bracing system consisting of cables and a central energy dissipating device (CORE Damper). The second is a shear wall system with the combined use of thin steel plate and tension-only bracing. Analytical studies using both advanced and simplified models and proof-of-concept testing were carried out for the two devices. The results demonstrated stable, highly efficient performance of the devices under seismic load. Preliminary applications of the CORE damper to the retrofitting of a braced steel frame showed the ability of the system to minimize soft story failures. Both techniques can be implemented within a sustainability framework, as these interventions reduce the seismic vulnerability of infrastructure, are low cost, utilize materials and fabrication processes widely available throughout the world, can be handled by unskilled labor and carried out with minimal disruptions to the environment. The approach taken in this study can provide a road map for future development of sustainability-based rehabilitation strategies.

Over 90% of the land area of Turkey lies over one of the most active seismic zones in the world. Hazardous earthquakes frequently occur and cause heavy damage to the economy of the country as well as human lives. Unfortunately, the majority of buildings in Turkey do not have enough seismic resistance capacity. The most commonly observed problems are faulty system configuration, insufficient lateral stiffness, improper detailing, poor material quality and mistakes during construction. Strengthening of R/C framed structures by using cast-in-place R/C infills leads to a huge construction work and is time consuming. On the other hand, using prefabricated panel infills can be preferred as a more feasible, rapid and easy technique during which the structure can remain operational. The aim of this experimental study is to observe the seismic behavior of R/C frames strengthened by precast concrete panel infills by testing different types of panel and connection designs in eight single-story single-bay reinforced concrete frame specimens.

É apresentado um estudo sobre a análise de edifícios altos enrijecidos com núcleos estruturais utilizando-se processos discretos. A ligação do núcleo estrutural com as lajes do pavimento do edifício é o ponto principal deste estudo. As vigas, pilares e lajes são analisados utilizando-se o Método dos Elementos Finitos. Os núcleos estruturais, que no presente estudo podem ser de seção aberta ou semifechada, são analisados pela teoria de flexo-torção é levado em consideração o empanamento do elemento do núcleo, dessa forma aparece o esforço denominado bimomento. O empenamento do núcleo estrutural é transferido para as lajes, ocorrendo alteração em sua distribuição de esforços. Para o cálculo da estrutura do edifício como um todo é utilizada a técnica de subestruturação em que o edifício é dividido em subestruturas formadas por um determinado número de andares. Os resultados da forma de cálculo pesquisada são comparados com modelos já desenvolvidos por outros autores. / This is a study about the analysis of tall buildings with shear/core walls using discrete processes. The joining of shear/core with slabs in tall buildings is the main subject of this work. The beams, columns and slabs are analyzed using the Finite Element Method. The building analysis is in 1st order. The shear/core walls, in this study, can present open or semi-closed cross section; they are analyzed by the theory of warping of beams of solid sections. In this theory we consider the warping of the core element, accounting for the bimoment. The warping of the core is transferred to the slabs, and the efforts in the slabs are altered. In order to calculate the building structure we are using the sub-structure technique, the building is divided in substructures created by a certain number of floors. The results of this research are compared with models developed by other authors.

A avaliação da capacidade de carga das estruturas de alvenaria submetidas a ações horizontais depende da confiabilidade dos modelos de dimensionamento utilizados. De fato, a alvenaria é um material heterogêneo com característica ortotrópicas. Além disso, por possuir juntas de argamassa que acarretam planos de fraqueza, geralmente a modelagem computacional desse tipo de estrutura apresenta grandes dificuldades. Um modelo robusto para alvenaria só pode ser desenvolvido por meio de uma descrição suficientemente precisa do comportamento mecânico individual de cada um dos seus componentes (unidades de alvenaria e a argamassa) e sobretudo nas juntas de argamassa, as quais são responsáveis pela maior parte dos fenômenos não-lineares que ocorrem na estrutura. Entretanto, diante da escassez de resultados experimentais, descrever esses comportamentos com a precisão e o rigor necessários é uma tarefa bastante difícil. Diante desta motivação, este trabalho se propôs a identificar e quantificar a influência da ligação unidade-argamassa, denominada junta, no comportamento estrutural de painéis de contraventamento de alvenaria estrutural executados com blocos de concreto. Assim, foram obtidos dados experimentais do comportamento da ligação unidade-argamassa e das partes componentes que posteriormente foram utilizados em modelagens computacionais realizadas para prever o comportamento estrutural de painéis de contraventamento submetidos a esforços horizontais no plano. Posteriormente, a partir dos resultados obtidos dos ensaios de painéis submetido a força horizontal e vertical e das modelagens numéricas propostas foi possível comparar os resultados experimentais e numéricos com os resultados obtidos pelo procedimento de dimensionamento da norma brasileira NBR 15812-1 (ABNT, 2010). Assim pode-se concluir que os valores da força horizontal máxima determinados a partir das recomendações da NBR 15812-1 (ABNT, 2010) apresentaram valores mais conservadores que os resultados experimentais e numéricos, como seria esperado. / The evaluation of load bearing capacity of masonry structures subjected to horizontal actions depends on the reliability of the dimensional models used. Masonry is indeed a heterogeneous material with orthotropic characteristics. In addition, due to its weak mortar joints, in general, the computational modeling of this type of structure presents major difficulties. A robust model for masonry structures can only be developed through a fairly accurate description of the individual mechanical behavior of each of its constituents (masonry units and mortar) and, especially, in the mortar joints, which are responsible for most nonlinear phenomena occurring in the structure. However, due to the lack of experimental data, describing these behaviors with the accuracy and rigor required is a rather difficult task. Hence, the objective of this study is to identify and quantify the influence of mortar-unit bond, also called joint, on the structural behavior of concrete block masonry shear walls. Accordingly, the experimental data of the behavior of the mortar-unit bond and the constituents, which were further used in the numerical modeling developed to predict the structural behavior of shear wall subjected to horizontal forces in the plane, were obtained. Subsequently, from the results obtained in the assays of shear walls subjected to a horizontal and vertical force and the numerical modeling proposed it was possible to compare the experimental and numerical results with those obtained by mean of the Brazilian Code NBR 15812-1 (ABNT, 2010). Therefore, it can be concluded that the values of maximum horizontal force determined according to the recommendations of Brazilian Code design criterion are more conservative values than the experimental and numerical values, as expected.

In this research, monotonic and cyclic tests on cold-formed steel shear walls sheathed with steel sheets on one side were conducted to (1) verify the published nominal shear strength for 18-mil and 27-mil steel sheets; and (2) investigate the behavior of 6-ft. wide shear walls with multiple steel sheets. In objective 1: this research confirms the discrepancy existed in the published nominal strength of 27-mil sheets discovered by the previous project and verified the published nominal strength of 18 mil sheet for the wind design in AISI S213. The project also finds disagreement on the nominal strength of 18-mil sheets for seismic design, which is 29.0% higher than the published values. The research investigated 6-ft. wide shear wall with four framing and sheathing configurations. Configuration C, which used detailing, could provide the highest shear strength, compared to Configurations A and B. Meanwhile, the shear strength and stiffness of 2-ft. wide and 4-ft. wide wall can be improved by using the seismic detailing.

This thesis presents two major sections with the objective of introducing a new cold-formed steel (CFS) shear wall system with corrugated steel sheathings. The work shown herein includes the development of an optimal shear wall system as well as an optimal slit configuration for the CFS corrugated sheathings which result in a CFS shear wall with high ductility, high strength, high stiffness and overall high performance. The conclusion is based on the results of 36 full-scale shear wall tests performed in the structural laboratory of the University of North Texas. A variety of shear walls were the subject of this research to make further discussions and conclusions based on different sheathing materials, slit configurations, wall configurations, sheathing connection methods, wall dimensions, shear wall member thicknesses, and etc. The walls were subject to cyclic (CUREE protocol) lateral loading to study their deformations and structural performances. The optimal sit configuration for CFS shear walls with corrugated steel sheathings was found to be 12×2 in. vertical slits in 6 rows. The failure mode observed in this shear wall system was the connection failure between the sheathing and the framing members. Also, most of the shear walls tested displayed local buckling of the chord framing members located above the hold-down locations. The second section includes details of developing a Finite Element Model (FEM) in ABAQUS software to analyze the lateral response of the new shear wall systems. Different modeling techniques were used to define each element of the CFS shear wall and are reported herein. Material properties from coupon test results are applied. Connection tests are performed to define pinching paths to model fasteners with hysteretic user-defined elements. Element interactions, boundary conditions and loading applications are consistent with full scale tests. CFS members and corrugated sheathings are modeled with shell elements, sheathing-to-frame fasteners are modeled using nonlinear springs (SPRING2 elements) for monotonic models and a general user defined element (user subroutine UEL) for cyclic models. Hold-downs are defined by boundary conditions. A total of three models were developed and validated by comparing ABAQUS results to full scale test results.

Steel plate shear walls (SPSWs) are a lateral force resisting system consisting of thin infill steel plates surrounded by boundary frame members. The infill steel plates are allowed to buckle in shear and subsequently form diagonal tension field actions during earthquake events. Hysteretic energy dissipation of this system is primarily achieved through yielding of the infill plates. Conceptually, in a SPSW system with ideally rigid columns pinned to ground, the infill plates at different stories will yield simultaneously as a result of the lateral loads. However, when the columns become flexible, infill plate yielding may initially occur at one story and progressively spread into the other stories with increasing roof displacement. This research investigates the effect of column stiffness on infill plate yielding sequence and distribution along the height of steel plate shear walls subjected to earthquake forces. Analytical models are derived and validated for two-story SPSWs. Based on the derived model, probabilistic simulations are conducted to calculate the probability of achieving infill plate yielding in both stories before occurrence of a premature failure caused by excessive inter story drift at the initially yielded story. A total of three simulation methods including the Monte-Carlo method, the Latin Hypercube sampling method, and the Rosenblueth’s 2K+1 point estimate method were considered to account for the uncertain infill plate thickness and lateral force distributions in the system.The investigation is also extended to multi-story SPSWs. Three example six-story SPSWs are evaluated using the Rosenblueth's 2K+1 point estimation method which is identified to be most efficient from the simulation on two-story SPSWs. Moreover, the effectiveness of the column minimum moment of inertia required in the current code for achieving infill plate yielding at every story of SPSWs is evaluated.