Maximum Floor Accelerations in Buildings with Reinforced Concrete Shear Walls Subjected to Strong Earthquakes

As a result of recent seismic events, it has been observed that earthquake-resistant design worldwide has evolved to the point where structures are generally able to respond adequately to such natural demands. Nevertheless, it has also become evident that nonstructural components and contents anchored to structures have not exhibited equally satisfactory performance. To study the effects of earthquakes on these elements and compare the results with current Chilean code provisions, the present study focuses on determining the maximum absolute floor accelerations in a shear wall building, the most common structural typology in Chilean residential construction. The structure was subjected to destructive seismic excitations representative of the earthquakes that struck Chile in 2010, 2015, and 2017. Based on the obtained accelerations, the demands on nonstructural elements were critically assessed using the current Chilean seismic design code. In this context, the nonlinear behavior of the supporting structure was considered with a damping ratio of 5%. Through time history simulations, floor acceleration records were generated, from which pseudo-accelerations were calculated. Finally, by applying an innovative procedure developed in this study, floor acceleration amplification factors were determined, as well as acceleration spectra intended to guide a more adequate design of nonstructural components.