RESPONSE REDUCTION FACTOR FOR RC BUILDING WITH VARIATION OF STOREY AND CONSIDERING INFILL WALL

Abstract

The construction practice of Reinforced concrete (RC) building with masonry infill structures is widely adopted across the world. However, these masonry infill walls are often overlooked in the modeling phase as they are considered a non-structural component. The response reduction factor (R-factor) is a crucial parameter in seismic design, as it enables designers to incorporate the nonlinear behavior of structures during seismic events while still allowing for a linear force-based design approach. This study studies the assessment of R-factor of RC buildings of varying heights, while also considering the existence of infill walls. The objective of the study is to determine how storey height and infill wall characteristics affect RC structures' seismic performance and estimate the R-factor. The estimation of the R-factor is carried out by performing a detailed nonlinear static pushover analysis of existing designed RC frame structures. The components of R-factor are assessed based on the outcomes derived from the nonlinear static pushover analysis, which is represented by a pushover curve. The response reduction factor decreased by approximately 6-15% when the height of the building increased. The inclusion of infill wall while evaluating the R-factor has a significant impact as the value of R-factor varied with inclusion of different infill wall material. The R-factor identified in this study will help in developing more accurate and efficient seismic design guidelines for RC buildings. The result helps in evaluating the overall effect of the infill wall in the R-factor. Additionally, the research outcomes contribute to understanding the behavior of RC buildings subjected to seismic loading