NONLINEAR ANALYSIS FOR SEISMIC UPGRADE STUDIES OF EXISTING ESSENTIAL FACILITIES

Abstract The need to perform cost-effective seismic upgrades of essential facilities has made the use of nonlinear finite-element techniques an attractive option. These techniques allow for the analysis of full buildings with large, nonlinear deformations. For reinforced concrete structures, this includes concrete crushing and cracking, and steel reinforcement yielding. These nonlinear models can predict the response of buildings subjected to strong motion earthquakes with a greater degree of accuracy than simple linear or ‘quasi’ nonlinear models.