Seismic Vulnerability of Single-Story Precast Industrial Buildings in Romania

The paper investigates the seismic vulnerability of single-story precast industrial buildings constructed in Romania during the 1970s, with particular reference to the damage observed following the 1977 Romanian earthquake. More than 800 structures were analytically assessed using a displacement-based evaluation procedure grounded in their original design specifications. Several displacement capacity models for flexure-controlled concrete columns were applied, and their suitability for the analyzed buildings is critically discussed. The study also includes a detailed case study that illustrates the practical application of the assessment methodology and highlights specific structural behaviors under seismic loading. The results demonstrate that the displacement-based assessment provides realistic predictions of seismic performance, consistent with observations from similar buildings constructed after the 1977 Vrancea earthquake. The conclusions indicate that the analyzed buildings generally exhibit favorable seismic behavior, with flexural hinging preceding shear failure and displacement-based methods offering more realistic and less conservative assessments than traditional force-based approaches. The scientific contribution of this work lies in using a comprehensive framework for evaluating the seismic response of existing precast industrial structures, offering insights into the effectiveness of different column capacity models, and establishing a foundation for future research on retrofitting strategies and the interaction of structural and non-structural components under seismic actions.