NEHRP Clearinghouse
- Title
- Failure Analysis of a Reinforced Concrete Frame Structure.
- File
- PB293569.pdf
- Author(s)
- Guendelman, T.; Hart, G. C.; Husid, R.
- Source
- National Science Foundation, Washington, DC. Applied Science and Research Applications., November 1974, 25 p.
- Identifying Number(s)
- UCLA-ENG-7482
- Abstract
- This paper describes and explains the failure of a reinforced concrete frame building located in the town of Vina del Mar, approximately 50 kilometers southeast of the Chilean earthquake epicenter. The structure under consideration is of special interest because of the spectacular nature of its failure and also because of the ability of engineers to see its pre- and post-earthquake condition. This was possible because prior to the earthquake there existed two structurally identical reinforced concrete frame buildings at this site. The July 8, 1971 earthquake caused one of the buildings to completely collapse while the other, only a few meters away, remained standing. In addition to a description of the failure, a post-mortem analytical seismic analysis was performed on the structure: (1) A static deal load analysis of a typical interior frame was performed in order to estimate the frame's dead load bending moment diagram; (2) An eigenvalue analysis was performed on the same interior frame, assuming it to be linearly elastic, to determine its natural frequencies and normal mode shapes of vibration; and (3) A pseudo-dynamic failure analysis was carried out on the frame.
- Keywords
- Seismic design; Earthquake resistant structures; Reinforced concrete; Seismic epicenter; Santiago (Chile); Buildings; Earthquake engineering; Dynamic structural analysis; Chile; Concrete construction; Earthquakes; Vina del Mar (Chile)