Effects of near-fault ground motions on the nonlinear behaviour of reinforced concrete framed buildings

The design provisions of current seismic codes are generally not very accurate for assessing effects of near-fault ground motions on reinforced concrete (r.c.) spatial frames, because only far-fault ground motions are considered in the seismic codes. Strong near-fault earthquakes are characterized by long-duration (horizontal) pulses and high values of the ratio α_PGA of the peak value of the vertical acceleration, PGA_V, to the analogous value of the horizontal acceleration, PGA_H, which can become critical for girders and columns. In this work, six- and twelve-storey r.c. spatial frames are designed according to the provisions of the Italian seismic code, considering the horizontal seismic loads acting (besides the gravity loads) alone or in combination with the vertical ones. The nonlinear seismic analysis of the test structures is performed using a step-by-step procedure based on a two-parameter implicit integration scheme and an initial stress-like iterative procedure. A lumped plasticity model based on the Haar-Ka`rma`n principle is adopted to model the inelastic behaviour of the frame members. For the numerical investigation, five near-fault ground motions with high values of the acceleration ratio α_PGA are considered. Moreover, following recent seismological studies, which allow the extraction of the largest (horizontal) pulse from a near-fault ground motion, five pulse-type (horizontal) ground motions are selected by comparing the original ground motion with the residual motion after the pulse has been extracted. The results of the nonlinear dynamic analysis carried out on the test structures highlighted that horizontal and vertical components of near-fault ground motions may require additional consideration in the seismic codes.