2.
Ductility Considerations in Earthquake-Resistant Design of RC Buildings
Introduction:
In earthquake-resistant design, ductility is a crucial property that allows reinforced
concrete (RC) buildings to undergo large deformations without significant loss of
strength. Structures in seismic regions are expected to dissipate energy through
controlled inelastic behavior during strong earthquakes. Ductile structures are
capable of absorbing and dissipating earthquake energy, reducing the chances of
sudden and catastrophic failure.
In the context of reinforced concrete (RC) buildings, ductility ensures that the
structure can sustain repeated cycles of loading and unloading (seismic waves)
without losing stability, thereby enhancing both safety and serviceability during
and after an earthquake.
Impact of Ductility:
The ductility of a structure directly influences its seismic performance in several
ways:
• Energy Dissipation: Ductile structures can dissipate seismic energy through
inelastic deformations, reducing the demand on individual elements and
the overall structure.
• Reduction of Seismic Forces: The design forces in earthquake-resistant
structures are reduced by using response reduction factors, which depend
on the level of ductility a structure can exhibit.
• Avoidance of Brittle Failure: Ductility ensures that the failure of a structure
is gradual and non-brittle, providing enough warning before collapse and
allowing occupants to evacuate.
• Redundancy and Load Redistribution: Ductile structures can redistribute
loads among structural members, preventing localized failures from leading
to total collapse.
Requirements for Ductility:
To achieve ductility in earthquake-resistant RC buildings, the following conditions
must be met:
1. Adequate reinforcement detailing: Reinforcement must be arranged to
ensure that it yields before concrete failure, ensuring a ductile response.
2. Confinement of Concrete: Transverse reinforcement (stirrups) in columns
and beam-column joints help in confining the concrete, enhancing its
ductility and allowing it to sustain large strains without spalling.
3. Flexural Dominance: The design should ensure flexural failure rather than
brittle modes like shear or bond failure. Flexural failure is a ductile
mechanism where yielding occurs, followed by large deformations.
4. Member Proportioning: Structural members (beams, columns) must be
proportioned and reinforced such that they can deform in a ductile manner.
Over-reinforcing can lead to brittle behavior, and hence, reinforcement
percentages need to be within limits.
5. Capacity Design: Strong-column, weak-beam design ensures that plastic
hinges form in beams rather than in columns, leading to ductile energy
dissipation.
Assessment of Ductility:
Ductility can be assessed at two levels:
1. Member/Element Ductility:
o Refers to the ability of individual structural members (beams,
columns, joints) to undergo plastic deformations without significant
strength degradation.
o Curvature ductility: Measured as the ratio of ultimate curvature
(post-yield) to yield curvature in flexural members. It quantifies the
member’s ability to undergo bending deformation after yielding.
o Rotation ductility: Refers to the capacity of joints and connections to
undergo plastic rotations before failure.
2. Structural Ductility:
o Refers to the overall ductility of the building as a system. It measures
the capacity of the entire structure to deform plastically and absorb
seismic energy.
o Displacement ductility: It is the ratio of ultimate displacement
(before collapse) to yield displacement. High structural ductility
indicates the ability of the building to withstand large lateral
deformations during earthquakes.
Factors Affecting Ductility:
Several factors influence the ductility of RC buildings:
1. Material Properties:
o Concrete strength: High-strength concrete tends to be less ductile.
Therefore, for seismic applications, normal-strength concrete (25-50
MPa) is often preferred.
o Steel reinforcement: Steel with high yield strength and high ductility
(e.g., Fe 415, Fe 500) is used. It ensures that yielding and energy
dissipation occur before brittle failure.
2. Reinforcement Detailing:
o Proper detailing of longitudinal and transverse reinforcement plays a
critical role in ensuring member ductility, particularly in potential
plastic hinge zones.
3. Confinement of Concrete:
o Closely spaced transverse reinforcement (stirrups) improves the
confinement of concrete, preventing premature spalling, and
increasing the ductility of the structure.
4. Axial Load:
o High axial loads on columns reduce their ductility. Lower axial loads
allow more ductile flexural behavior in columns.
5. Structural Configuration:
o Regularity in plan and elevation increases the overall ductility. Irregular buildings often
experience localized concentrations of stresses, leading to premature failure.
6. Shear Resistance:
o Ensuring adequate shear strength is vital because brittle shear failure must be avoided in
any ductile design. A ductile member must have sufficient shear capacity so that
inelastic deformations are governed by flexure.
Ductility Considerations as per IS 13920:
IS 13920 (Indian Standard Code for Ductile Detailing of Reinforced Concrete
Structures) provides guidelines for achieving ductility in earthquake-resistant
structures.
Key provisions include:
1. Minimum Reinforcement:
o A minimum amount of longitudinal reinforcement must be provided
to ensure that yielding precedes failure.
2. Transverse Reinforcement:
o Transverse reinforcement (stirrups) should be provided at close
intervals in columns, beams, and beam-column joints to ensure
confinement and prevent shear failure.
3. Beam-Column Joint Design:
o The joints must be adequately confined to resist the high shear forces
generated during seismic activity.
4. Strong-Column Weak-Beam Design:
o Columns should be designed to remain elastic while beams yield and
form plastic hinges during an earthquake. The moment of resistance
of columns should be higher than that of beams, ensuring energy
dissipation in beams.
5. Plastic Hinge Locations:
o Detailing must account for the formation of plastic hinges in beams
rather than in columns. Proper reinforcement ratios and lap splice
lengths ensure that the plastic hinge zones exhibit ductile behavior.
6. Lateral Ties in Columns:
o The spacing of lateral ties in potential plastic hinge regions of
columns must be reduced to enhance confinement and prevent
buckling of longitudinal reinforcement during inelastic deformations.
7. Lap Splicing:
o Lap splices should be located in regions of low stress (away from
plastic hinge zones), and adequate development length must be
provided to ensure effective load transfer.
Conclusion: Ductility is a critical consideration in the earthquake-resistant design
of RC buildings. By ensuring that structures and their elements can undergo large
inelastic deformations without sudden failure, ductility improves the safety and
performance of buildings during seismic events. Following the provisions of IS
13920, which emphasizes proper reinforcement detailing, confinement, and
structural proportioning, designers can ensure that RC buildings perform well
under earthquake loads, protecting both life and property.
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