Vulnerability of reinforced concrete frames using anti-seismic hysteretic devices for the Lorca earthquake (2011)

Many buildings around the world are extremely vulnerable to serious and moderate earthquakes. Base isolation and energy dissipators are the traditional techniques in anti-seismic designs. The present paper focuses on the suitability of using hysteretic energy dissipators in braced buildings in low-to-medium seismic zones, such as southeast Spain. To this end, static (Push-over) and dynamic analyses have been carried out using the record of the Lorca earthquake (2011) in its most unfavorable direction (N-S), using reinforced concrete frames of low (5 stories frame), medium (10 stories frame), and high height (15 stories frame) with hysteretic dissipators (based on metal plasticization) and economical and easy-to-use devices. The results show that this type of solution is appropriate in the case described and indicate the advantages and disadvantages of its use in buildings in the study area. The results show that the effectiveness of the dissipative devices increases with the height of the frames, in terms of displacements, resistance, and distribution of moments in the primary structural elements of the frames (beams and columns).