Nonlinear Dynamic Response of Aging Degraded Reinforced Concrete Structures Under Earthquake Loading

摘要

Structural capacity degradation over time is a problem that affects strategic infrastructure all over the world. Therefore, in any assessment of the long-term seismic performance of RC structures, the aging deterioration phenomena must be appreciated, and appropriate models developed to accurately simulate the time-dependent nature of these effects. In this study, the impact of the degradation and the loss in structure performance are evaluated by integrating the aging material models into the hysteresis properties of the reinforced concrete elements. The aging damage factor is represented by power functions, however, a simple linear relationship between the aging damage level and the hysteresis properties is assumed. Nonlinear dynamic analyses are then carried out to evaluate the structural damage of a prototype frame structure subjected to an earthquake ground motion at critical time points for two design lifecycles. A considerable loss of the energy dissipation capacity is observed during the second phase of evolution of the aging deterioration.