Abstract

The monograph begins with a review of the usual seismic analysis procedures and presents the problem of seismic-resistant projects. The required structurual analyses can be elastic or inelastic, but the latter have been used mostly during the last decade thanks to advances in numerical methods and in the area of ​​computers. It also presents a summary of the most common seismic codes prescriptions for reinforced concrete elements and examines aspects of conceptual design that often come from code recommendations. Next, an introduction to the theme of performance based design is made. A method for linear seismic dimensioning is then developed, but with displacement amplification factors obtained from research performed on the nonlinear behavior of the structures. This method allows the displacements, and not the strength, to govern the project, is simple to apply, compatible with most of the rules required by the earthquake resistant structures and is illustrated by the application to a group of reinforced concrete framed buildings. Once the buildings designed, they be subjected to seismic actions of the pseudostatic or dynamic type and will undergo a non-linear behaviour. The response of the structures is evaluated by applying a set of limit states formulated in accordance with the principles of performance based design. The non-linear response allows to calibrate some of the factors applied in the seismic project, such as the global ductility, the behavior factor and the redundancy factor and resistance reserve. From the non-linear response, damage indices are obtained, both local and global, that allow the rapid evaluation of the seismic behavior, as well as the identification of the areas in which the damage is concentrated and which must be reinforced. Finally, using a series of thresholds that allow the definition of the limit states, a mixed procedure (deterministic-probabilistic) is applied by means of which the exceedance probabilities of the mentioned states are calculated. These procedure allows calculating fragility curves and damage probability matrices that applied according to the conceptual framework of the performance based design, allow obtaining earthquake resistant buildings.