Framework for Improving the Seismic Behaviour of RC MRF Buildings Resting on Hill Slopes

Abstract

In the past decade, India witnessed a surge in concentrated urban growth to newlinemanifolds. The same trend is visible in hilly regions where the seismic safety of newlinebuildings is partially answered. Also, the peak ground accelerations observed in the newlinepast earthquakes are in accordance with the design PGA, the associated damages newlineobserved are brittle, which is undesirable. This can be mainly attributed to the current newlinedesign codes not providing sufficient recommendations for the safety of buildings on newlinehill slopes. For example, the code suggests modifications to consider the height of newlinebuildings resting on slopes in calculating the lateral forces, but do not discuss the newlineambiguity in the shear force distribution that is inevitable at the shorter column. newlineThe parameters responsible for their ill behaviour must be well understood to newlineimprove the safety of hill buildings. Therefore, a methodology is formulated for newlineunderstanding the effect of varying building dimensions on (i) design stress ratios, (ii) newlinedynamic response, i.e., drifts, and (iii) dynamic characteristics, i.e., modal properties. newlineCorrelation matrices are plotted to identify the parameters influencing the behaviour. newlineFurther, nonlinear dynamic analysis is performed using a reference structure to detect newlinethe failure pattern. It is observed that the predominant failure is due to shear in all newlineuphill columns, followed by the yielding of an immediate story. Based on the newlineparameters identified, a framework is proposed to (i) restrict the shear failure in the newlineuphill columns and (ii) improve the base shear distribution, flexural deformations, newlineand modal properties along and across the valley. A similar nonlinear analysis is newlineperformed to confirm the improvement in the behaviour of buildings resting on newlineslopes. newline