Performance-Based Plastic Design of a Reinforced Concrete Frame for Seismic Loads Considering the Soil-Pile-Structure Interaction

Introduction. The authors make use of Performance-Based Plastic Design (PBPD) method that is commonly employed overseas for calculations and design of building structures in seismic hot spots. A pre-selected target drift and yield mechanisms is used as the key performance objectives. In this research, reinforced concrete special moment frames (RC SMF) were analyzed for high-rise concrete structures perceiving seismic loads. Materials and Methods. Two designs were considered in the analysis, one according to ACI-318/ASCE-07, and the other according to PBPD. RC SMF was also combined with pile caps and piles foundation system to provide a soil-pile-structure interaction (SPSI) model. Nonlinear lateral load-transfer from the foundation to the soil is modeled using p-y curves for soft clay soil that was considered in this study. Results. Numerical results obtained using soil-pile- structure interaction model conditions were compared to those corresponding to fixed-base support conditions, such as fundamental time period, structural capacity, story displacement and story drift. Frames designed using PBPD were less affected by SPSI, in spite of having greater values in general than frames designed following the standards (codes). Discussion and Conclusions. The PBPD method as a direct design method where the drift control and the selection of yield mechanism are initially assumed in the design work, proved that it is an effective method to reach a better performance for reinforced concrete moment resisting frames with fixed base support.