Application of Incremental Dynamic Analysis for Seismic Performance Assessment of a Premodern RC Template Building in Albania

Abstract

Albania is a country prone to earthquakes due to its location in a seismically active region, where the convergence of the tectonic plates often results in severe geological dynamics. The November 2019 earthquake emphasized the need to improve performance evaluation methods, due to the fact that many premodern buildings were severely damaged. This study evaluates the seismic performance of a template reinforced concrete building which is chosen to represent the commonly constructed designs with premodern codes during the 1980s in Albania. The building’s seismic performance is evaluated by conducting a modern approach known as Incremental Dynamic Analysis (IDA). This analysis is performed using a series of dynamic time history analyses, simulating the effects of various intensity scales from a set of 20 ground motion records on the horizontal and vertical direction of the structure. For each ground motion, the IDA curves are constructed, and the limit states including Immediate Occupancy (IO), Collapse Prevention (CP) and Global Instability (GI) performance levels are allocated. To statistically categorize the generated data of the multi – record IDA curves, three percentile curves are obtained as 16%, 50% and 84%. In the end, the results from the demand calculations are evaluated to determine if they exceed or meet the performance point derived from probabilistic seismic hazard maps for the most seismically active region in the country