Structural Member Sizes for Displacement-Based Design of Reinforced Concrete Frame Buildings

Unified Performance-Based Design (UPBD) method attempts to optimize the structural member sizes of RCC frame buildings for specific performance objectives, reducing the design iterative efforts and enhancing efficiency. Originally, UPBD was basically validated for certain material grades (M30 concrete and Fe415 rebar steel) and design parameters. In this study UPBD is tested for RCC framed buildings of; 2, 4, 6, and 8 stories; different design Interstorey Drift Ratios (IDR) - 1%, 2%, 3%; M20 Concrete and steel grades of Fe-415 and Fe-500. EC-8 design displacement spectrum at 0.45g seismicity level and type B soil condition is considered. The seismic performance of the structures is checked using Non-Linear Time History Analysis (NLTHA) based on the Spectrum-Compatible Ground Motion (SCGM). It is found that the structures achieved the desired performance levels and IDR with very small exceedance beyond the target IDR by 0.4% in few cases. The ductile failure modes are properly maintained. The resulting beam plastic hinge patterns are also in good terms with the existing equation. This study confirms that UPBD is a practical and effective tool for designing earthquake resistant RCC frame buildings within the considered scopes.