Giovanni González

DISPLACEMENT DUCTILITY FOR SEISMIC DESIGN OF RC WALLS FOR LOW-RISE HOUSING

The paper compares and discusses displacement ductility ratios of reinforced concrete walls typically used in one- and two-story houses. Ductility is investigated by assessing response measured on 39 walls tested under shaking table excitations and quasi-static lateral loads. Variables studied were the height-to-length ratio and walls with openings, type of concrete and, steel ratio and type of web reinforcement. An equation to estimate the available ductility of a wall is proposed. Based on statistical analysis of data, values of displacement ductility capacity are recommended. Displacement ductility ratios can be used to compute both strength modification and displacement amplification factors for code-based seismic design.

MODELING OF CONCRETE DWELLINGS BASED ON RESULTS FROM AMBIENT VIBRATION TESTS

Based on both ambient vibration measurements and numerical models using the wide-column analogy and the finite element method, vibrations periods of low-rise concrete dwellings are estimated in this study. A brief review of parametric and nonparametric techniques is presented and discussed, and in-situ measurements techniques are critically compared. The results of ambient vibration tests are used to calibrate numerical models. Advantages, drawbacks and accuracy of parametric techniques, as well as particular recommendations to build numerical models for assessing the elastic behavior of low-rise concrete wall dwellings, are proposed.