Seismic vulnerability of existing RC buildings

Abstract

The assessment of seismic vulnerability of existing Reinforced Concrete (RC) buildings is of fundamental importance for the evaluation of seismic risk. In this thesis, capacity models for existing RC buildings are investigated, first, by means of experimental and numerical activities aimed at the evaluation of deformation capacity of substandard RC members, with emphasis on columns with smooth bars. Then, the influence of infill elements on the seismic behaviour of RC buildings is evaluated. To this aim, a numerical investigation of the period of vibration of infilled RC buildings is carried out, and the seismic capacity of a case study gravity load designed building with different infill configurations is studied. Finally, a simplified approach based on Shear Type models and simulated design procedure is proposed and applied to a case-study urban scale seismic vulnerability assessment in the Avellino city (southern Italy).