Effect of Aftershock Characteristics on the Fragility Curve of Post-Mainshock RC Frames
Abstract Buildings constructed in seismic zones are not only damaged by mainshocks but may also be damaged by the impact of aftershocks and cause them to collapse. Therefore, studying the behavior of the damaged structures due to the mainshock and aftershock helps in post-mainshock decision making and also in the selection of suitable aftershock records for seismic assessing of the structure under earthquake sequences. This paper presents the effects of aftershock ground motion on the collapse capacity of post-mainshock buildings. The mean period (Tm), predominant velocity period (Tg), frequency bandwidth (Ω), the 5%-95% significant duration (Ds) and seismic records of different sites were selected to evaluate the effect of its characteristics on the collapse capacity of buildings. The intensity of the ground motions was determined by the first-mode spectral acceleration with 5% damping. Collapse capacities of two non-ductile reinforced concrete (RC) frames with 3 and 6 stories were evaluated using a set of 62 aftershock records with a wide range of characteristics. Box plot collapse diagrams and fragility curves have been developed by applying the incremental dynamic analysis (IDA). The results show that in the frequency content with a longer period, the probability of its collapse is higher. In addition, the high significant duration of aftershocks increases the collapse probability of structures. Also, the evaluation of the site characteristics shows differences in collapse capacities of the same frames in varying sites. Therefore, the effect of aftershock characteristics on the capacity of the structures is significant and it is necessary to carefully determine the seismic sequences’ recordings for the evaluation of the seismic behavior of the structures.