Rehabilitation of a reinforced concrete frame using eccentric steel bracing

The seismic performance of a low-rise nonductile reinforced concrete (RC) b uilding rehabilitated using eccentric steel bracing is investigated. A thre e-story office building was analyzed using various ground motion records. T he effectiveness of the eccentric steel bracing in rehabilitating the build ing was examined. The effect of distributing the steel bracing over the hei ght of the RC frame on the seismic performance of the rehabilitated buildin g was studied. The behavior of the nonductile RC frame members is represent ed by a beam-column element capable of modeling the strength deterioration and the effect of the axial force on the yield moment and the deformation c apacities at peak strength of the members. The Link behavior is modeled usi ng tri-linear moment and shear force representations. The performance of th e building is evaluated in terms of story drifts and damage indices. (C) 20 01 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.