Seismic Evaluation of Reinforced Concrete Frames in the Harsh Environment Using Pushover Analysis

The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the seismic response of buildings of typical reinforced concrete frames when concrete starts to deteriorate gradually and to make a comparison between the base shear and the displacement at different stages of earthquake loading. Typical 5, 15, 20 and 30-storey reinforced concrete frames have been designed for seismicity according to the recently adopted seismic code in Abu Dhabi, ACI 318-08/IBC 2009 code. A pushover analysis has been performed to these four buildings by using SAP 2000. Twenty-four models have been created (6 models for each building) by decreasing the concrete strength gradually from 4000 psi (281 kg/cm²) to 1500 psi (105 kg/cm²). This is to simulate the effect of harsh environment on the strength of concrete in existing buildings.