ISSN 2319-5347, ISI Impact Factor: 0.763

VOLUME 03 NO. 03 JULY 2014: 

Title:         Probabilistic Risk Evaluation of RC Building - Comparison of Modeling Approaches
Authors:    Vimal Chaudhary, K. S. Babu Narayan
Abstract:  Seismic provisions have several parameters which can be utilized to improve the performance of the structures under seismic excitations. Many studies have shown that the damage index of a structure can be decreased by changing these parameters. However, the behavior of structures subjected to earthquake excitations is probabilistic rather than deterministic. Moreover, the origin of earthquakes, the inherency of earthquakes caused by fault movement, is stochastic as well. This uncertainty is in the whole property of earthquake records, such as PGA and frequency content. The evaluation of structures cannot be concluded if all these uncertainties are neglected. In addition, there is no sufficient guarantee that considering such parameters, which are definitely introduced in seismic provisions, improves the performance of structures and operates very precisely. A decrease in damage index does not mean that the probability of damage exceedance and loss estimation can be declined. Moreover, the origin of earthquakes, the inherency of earthquakes caused by fault movement, is stochastic as well. Hence, the uncertainty is in the whole property of earthquake records, such as peak ground acceleration and frequency content. Vulnerability and risk assessment can be evaluated in a deterministic or a probabilistic way and this study makes a comparison between the two modeling approaches based on the capacity spectrum method procedures. Comparison of fragility curves developed using different procedures is studied and applicability is discussed. Seismic fragility curves were developed and damage probability indices has been constructed for the chosen example problems.

Keywords:   Mander Method, Moment-Curvature, Modified Kent & Park Method, Fragility Curve, Damage Index
Page no:     272-282

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