Response-based damage assessment of structures

The structure's ability to survive an earthquake may be measured in terms o f the expected state of damage of the structure after the earthquake. Damag e may be quantified by using any of several damage indices defined as funct ions whose values can be related to particular structural damage states. A number of available response-based damage indices are discussed and critica lly evaluated for their applicability in seismic damage evaluation. A new r ational approach for damage assessment is presented which provides a measur e of the physical response characteristics of the structure and is better s uited for non-linear structural analysis. A practical method based on the s tatic pushover analysis is proposed to estimate the expected damage to stru ctures when subjected to earthquakes of different intensities. Results of t he analysis of ductile and non-ductile reinforced concrete buildings show t hat the proposed procedure for damage assessment gives a simple, consistent and rational damage indicator for structures. Copyright (C) 1999 John Wile y & Sons, Ltd.