Methodology for optimizing seismic rehabilitation of pre-code reinforced concrete buildings

This work deals with optimization of seismic rehabilitation for regular pre-code reinforced concrete buildings. Evaluation of vulnerability is performed through conventional non-linear static pushover computations, using specialized finite element software. Three limitations were considered. These include: a prescribed code seismic design load of roof displacement of the total building, the maximum inter story drift and the prevention of collapse. Four factors characterizing transverse sections of beams and columns and their respective reinforcements are introduced. A complete factorial design of experiment table having three levels has been used to define a finite set of data points where the base shear, the roof displacement and the maximum inter story drift were evaluated. Response surface models were derived then via polynomial regressions and used to write explicitly the optimization problem constraints. Optimal seismic rehabilitation of the building was carried out, with the objective of minimizing the total cost of building structural members.   Key words: Vulnerability, earthquake, reinforced concrete, pushover, regression, analysis of variance.