Fragility surfaces give the probability of failure for structural or non-structural systems as a function of two parameters, the earthquake magnitude and epicentral distance. These parameters provide a unique characterization of the ground motion. In contrast, the current characterization of the ground motion by a single parameter, e.g., the Peak Ground Acceleration (PGA), can be unsatisfactory...

ABSTRACT: An approach for assessing the seismic fragility of inelastic structures is presented. In this approach, the structural response, which is evaluated from response spectra with an associated probability distribution, is compared with the performance limits states to assess fragility. Formulas that provide the probability distribution of spectral ordinates are developed based on the cros...

New performance-based earthquake engineering methods developed by the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center, the Applied Technology Council, and others include damage analysis at a highly detailed level, requiring the compilation of fragility functions for a large number of damageable generic structural and nonstructural components. This brief paper presents the development of a fragil...

Due to low stiffness of braces after yielding, the structures with buckling-restrained braces (BRBs) experience high residual drifts during an earthquake, which can be intensified by aftershocks and causes considerable damages to structures. Also, due to poor distribution of stiffness, this problem is exacerbated for irregular structures. Recently, the yielding brace system (YBS) has been intro...

In this work, we analyze the influence of masonry infill walls on the seismic performance of waffle slabs reinforced concrete (RC) framed structures. We analyze buildings of three, five and eight storeys, which are representative for a big number of housings in Barcelona, Spain. Capacity spectra have been obtained by performing pushover analyses and we have used a simplified procedure to obtain...

The existence of torsion, as well as consideration of the Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI), increase the natural periods of the structure resulting from a subsequent decrease in the seismic demand of the system. This paper summarizes the probabilistic assessment for evaluation of collapse fragility curves in concrete moment resisting structure with different mass center eccentricities. A 12-sto...

The vulnerability of the UHV porcelain arrester is very high under strong earthquake. To rise seismic reliability of the UHV porcelain arrester, a new type lead damper, which is a new patent product, is installed at the bottom of the equipment. To investigate the damping effect of the dampers, the experimental research and finite element analysis on seismic behavior of the UHV porcelain arreste...

The purpose of this research was to evaluate the nonlinear dynamic response of rigid and semi-rigid steel frames under Far-Fault Earthquake Records. Accordingly, the fragility curve of the moment frames with rigid and semi-rigid connections was determined. Considering the analytical knowledge of structures in the past, the analysis and design of steel frames based on the assumptions of rigid or...