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For DCL structures, EC8 imposes very limited material requirements in addition to the EC2
provisions, whereas for DCM and DCH structures, increasingly more onerous material requirements
are imposed, together with geometrical constraints, capacity design provisions and detailing rules
tied to local ductility demand.
Structural types
Frame systems are defined as those systems where moment frames carry both vertical and lateral
loads and provide resistance to 65% or more of the total base shear. Please refer the relevant
sections of EC8 to see the definitions of other types.
Partial factors
In checking the resistance of concrete elements, the partial factors for material properties, c and
s, for concrete and reinforcement respectively, are generally taken as those for the persistent and
transient design situation rather than for the accidental design situation that may initially appear to
be more in keeping with an infrequent event, such as the design earthquake. Hence, a value of 1.5
is adopted for c and 1.15 for s in the UK, the values being defined in the National Annex to EC2
for each country.
Capacity design
Whilst capacity design is an important concept for seismic design in all materials, it is particularly
relevant to reinforced concrete structures, which can potentially exhibit brittle failure modes unless
attention is paid to suppressing these modes in the design and detailing.
In the case of reinforced concrete elements the best way to dissipate energy is by flexural yielding,
as shear and axial forces tend to induce brittle behavior. Therefore, the ductility of a structure can
generally be optimized by enforcing flexural yielding at specific locations (ductile links), called
plastic hinge zones, avoiding any type of shear or axial compressive failure (brittle links) and
designing the rest of the structure to remain elastic throughout the development of the plastic
hinges.
The approach adopted by EC8 to promote capacity design of reinforced concrete structures is to
choose critical regions of the structure (the plastic hinge zones) that are designed to yield in flexure
when subject to design earthquake loading, modified by the q factor appropriate to the structural
system. These critical regions are then detailed to undergo large, inelastic cyclic deformations and
fulfil the role of structural fuses, limiting the inertial loads that can be transferred to the remaining
protected parts of the structure, which can then be designed to normal EC2 provisions.
Derivation of shear forces in members from the flexural capacity of their critical regions.
Promotion of the strong column/weak beam hierarchy in frame structures, evaluating column
moments as a function of the beams framing into them.
In both cases, in the design of notionally elastic parts of the structure, an allowance for over
strength of thee critical regions is made, a greater allowance being made for DCH than for DCM.
Design and detailing rules for the critical regions are formulated with the objective of ensuring that:
Sufficient curvature ductility is provided in critical regions of primary elements.
Local buckling of compressed steel within plastic hinge region is prevented
Additionally, if Class B reinforcement is chosen rather than Class C in DCM structures, the value of
should be at least 1.5 times the value calculated from the above equations.
Primary elements are specified as being those elements that contribute to the seismic resistance of
the structure and are designed and detailed to the relevant provisions of EC8 for the designated
ductility class. Elements that are not part of the main system for resisting seismic loading can be
classed as secondary elements. They are assumed to make no contribution to seismic resistance,
and secondary concrete elements are designed to EC2 to resist gravity loads together with
imposed seismic displacements derived from the response of the primary system. In this case, no
special detailing requirements are imposed upon these elements.
Stiffness considerations
Apart from its major influence in determining the magnitude of inertial loads, structural stiffness is
important in meeting the damage limitation provisions of EC8 part 1 ( clause 4.4.3) and in assessing
the significance of P- effects as per Clause 4.4.2.2 (2) to (4).
The inter storey drift sensitivity coefficient, , used to take account of P- effects
A simplified approach towards catering for the increase in seismic forces due to accidental
eccentricity in regular structures is given in Clause 4.3.3.2.4 of EC8 Part 1. Loads on each frame are
multiplied by a factor, equal to [1+0.6(x/Le)] where x is the distance of the frame from the centre
of mass and Le is the distance between the two outermost load resisting elements.
In clauses of Section 5 of EC8 highlighted the conditions for choice of structural types.
Reduction of the q factors assigned to the less adequate structural types and to irregular
structures;
The control of inter-storey drifts, which tends to penalize more flexible structures.
The reduction of the q factors is apparent in Table 5.1. The torsionally flexible system and the
inverted pendulum system are clearly penalized with q factors that can be less than half of the ones
prescribed for the frame, dual or coupled wall systems. Buildings with walls may fall under the
classification of torsionally flexible if the walls are concentrated at a single location in plan.
Buildings with several walls closer to the periphery of the floor plans tend to meet the criterion
that avoids this type of classification.
EC8 permits the design of structures for non-dissipative behavior. If this option is taken, then
standard concrete design to EC2 should be carried out, the only additional requirement being that
reasonably ductile reinforcing steel, Class B or C as defined in EC2, must be used. A q factor of up
to 1.5 is permitted, this being regarded as effectively as an over strength factor. However, other
than for design of secondary elements, the DCL option is only recommended for areas of low
seismicity as defined by Clause 3.2.1(4) of EC8 part 1.
Beams
The shear load to be applied to the column is then derived from the flexural capacity in a similar
way to that described above for beams, as shown in figure below. Generally there will be significant
axial loads in the column, which affects the moment strength. Also, there will not usually be
significant lateral loading within the length of the column, so there is no additional term analogous
to the gravity loading applied to the beams.
Having derived the design shear and bending actions in the structural members, the resistance are
then calculated according to EC2.
An additional restriction in columns is that the normalized axial compression force d
Beams
Columns
The beam column joints of frames represent a highly stressed region with quite complex
reinforcement detailing. The design requirements in EC8 are much more straightforward for DCM
than DCH.
In DCM joints, no explicit calculation of shear resistance is required, provided the following rules
are satisfied:
To ensure that there is adequate bond between reinforcement and concrete, the diameter of
the main beam bars passing through the joint must be limited as given in previous equations.
At least one intermediate column bar is provided between each of the corners of the columns.
Hoops must continue unreduced through the joint from the critical region of the column, or
must meet the confinement requirements of the given equation, if greater, unless the joint is
confined on all four sides by beams. In this case, the hoop spacing may be doubled (but must
not exceed 150mm).