Finding Optimal Configuration of Hill Slope RCC Buildings for Seismic Resilience Enhancement and Risk Mitigation

The seismic resilience of reinforced cement concrete (RCC) buildings on hill slopes is a critical concern due to the increased risk of structural damage during earthquakes. This study emphasizes the optimally configured RCC buildings on hill slopes to enhance seismic resilience. To achieve building stability and ensure safety on elevated terrain in this study, several approaches are considered. Nonlinear static pushover analysis and response spectrum method are used for further analysis of the seismic performance of each model. By the use of finite-element code, dynamic reactions in the buildings are determined based on spectral displacement and base shear. Fragility functions also determine the probability of the damage state being exceeded in buildings on different slopes. Time history analysis is conducted based on this fragility function. The study made use of tools like extended three-dimensional analysis of building systems (ETABS) to find out that the buildings with a step-back and setback design tend to have better seismic performance than merely a step-back design. For instance, at the 0° slope, base shear for step-back and setback configuration was 280 kN for 4-story buildings and 380 kN for 5-story buildings, lower than 460 kN and 540 kN, respectively, for step-back configurations. Similarly, story displacement was reduced in step-back and setback configurations for all slope angles. Step-back and setback configurations showed better seismic performance than step-back configurations alone. Such results are helpful for engineers in encouraging advanced retrofitting techniques and real-time monitoring systems for improving safety and resilience in such regions.