• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.141-161
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• 2016

In seismic fragility and risk analysis, the definition of structural limit state (LS) capacities is of crucial importance. Traditionally, LS capacities are defined according to design code provisions or using deterministic pushover analysis without considering the inherent randomness of structural parameters. To assess the effects of structural randomness on LS capacities, ten structural parameters that include material strengths and gravity loads are considered as random variables, and a probabilistic pushover method based on a correlation-controlled Latin hypercube sampling technique is used to estimate the uncertainties in LS capacities for four typical reinforced concrete frame buildings. A series of ten LSs are identified from the pushover curves based on the design-code-given thresholds and the available damage-controlled criteria. The obtained LS capacities are further represented by a lognormal model with the median $m_C$ and the dispersion ${\beta}_C$. The results show that structural uncertainties have limited influence on $m_C$ for the LSs other than that near collapse. The commonly used assumption of ${\beta}_C$ between 0.25 and 0.30 overestimates the uncertainties in LS capacities for each individual building, but they are suitable for a building group with moderate damages. A low uncertainty as ${\beta}_C=0.1{\sim}0.15$ is adequate for the LSs associated with slight damages of structures, while a large uncertainty as ${\beta}_C=0.40{\sim}0.45$ is suggested for the LSs near collapse.

• Earthquakes and Structures
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• v.3 no.3_4
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• pp.365-381
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• 2012

Recent earthquakes have damaged some bridges located on the Pacific Coast of Mexico; these bridges have been retrofitted or rebuilt. Based on the fact that the Pacific Coast is a highly active seismic zone where most of the strong earthquakes in the country occur, one fertile and important area of research is the study of the vulnerability of both new and existent bridges located in this area that can be subjected to strong earthquakes. This work is focused on estimating the contribution of some parameters identified to have major influence on the seismic vulnerability of reinforced concrete bridges. Ten models of typical reinforced concrete (RC) bridges, and two existing bridges located close to the Pacific Coast of Mexico are considered. The group of structures selected for the study is based on two span bridges, two pier heights and two substructure types. The bridges were designed according to recent codes in Mexico. For the vulnerability study, the capacity of the structure was evaluated based on the FEMA recommendations. On the other hand, the demand was evaluated using a group of more than one hundred accelerograms recorded close to the subduction zone of Mexico. The results show that the two existent bridges analyzed show similar trends of behavior of the group of bridge models studied. In spite of the contribution that traditional variables (height and substructure type) had to the bridge seismic response, the bridge length was also found to be one of the parameters that most contributed to the seismic vulnerability of these RC medium-length bridges.