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Ductility of wide-beam RC frames as lateral resisting system

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Abstract

Some Mediterranean seismic codes consider wide-beam reinforced concrete moment resisting frames (WBF) as horizontal load carrying systems that cannot guarantee high ductility performances. Conversely, Eurocode 8 allows High Ductility Class (DCH) design for such structural systems. Code prescriptions related to WBF are systematically investigated. In particular, lesson learnt for previous earthquakes, historical reasons, and experimental and numerical studies underpinning specific prescriptions on wide beams in worldwide seismic codes are discussed. Local and global ductility of WBF are then analytically investigated through (1) a parametric study on chord rotations of wide beams with respect to that of deep beams, and (2) a spectral-based comparison of WBF with conventional reinforced concrete moment resisting frames (i.e. with deep beams). Results show that the set of prescriptions given by modern seismic codes provides sufficient ductility to WBF designed in DCH. In fact, global capacity of WBF relies more on the lateral stiffness of the frames and on the overstrength of columns rather than on the local ductility of wide beams, which is systematically lower with respect to that of deep beams.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Structures for Engineering and Architecture, DIST, University of Naples Federico II, Via Claudio, 21, 80125, Naples, Italy

    Fernando Gómez-Martínez & Gerardo M. Verderame

  2. Department of Mechanics of the Continuum Media and Theory of Structures, Polytechnic University of Valencia, Camino de Vera, s/n, 46022, Valencia, Spain

    Fernando Gómez-Martínez & Adolfo Alonso-Durá

  3. Department of Civil Engineering, University of Bristol, Queen’s Building University Walk, BS8 1TR, Bristol, UK

    Flavia De Luca

Authors
  1. Fernando Gómez-Martínez
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  2. Adolfo Alonso-Durá
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  3. Flavia De Luca
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  4. Gerardo M. Verderame
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Correspondence to Fernando Gómez-Martínez.

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Gómez-Martínez, F., Alonso-Durá, A., De Luca, F. et al. Ductility of wide-beam RC frames as lateral resisting system. Bull Earthquake Eng 14, 1545–1569 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-016-9891-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10518-016-9891-x

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