Performance-based seismic rehabilitation of r.c. buildings using dissipative braces

In this paper, the performance-based seismic rehabilitation of RC buildings using dissipative steel braces was carried out. At this aim, a damage-controlled nonlinear static procedure was used to estimate maximum lateral displacement and plastic dissipated energy, control damage indices in structural elements and keep them within tolerable limits at each performance level. These multilevel objectives were pursued with a procedure based on the Capacity Spectrum Method, the Inelastic Demand Response Spectra and the estimation of the duration-related damage that is a function of the energy absorbed in the structure. This procedure retains the conceptual simplicity and computational effectiveness of pushover analysis and accounts for the cumulative inelastic deformation under displacement reversals. Its accuracy in reproducing the dynamic performance of RC frames rehabilitated with eccentric dissipative braces is finally investigated.