Evaluation of simple methods for performance assessment of buildings subjected to earthquakes

The emergence of "performance" as a viable criterion for evaluating the earthquake-resistance of a given building structure places new responsibilities on the analytical prowess of structural engineers. The quantification of performance may be in the form of an allowable rotation, drift, or expected damage for a given structural element or system. Reasonable estimates of element deformations can be obtained with complex analysis such as nonlinear dynamic analysis of the modeled structure. For ordinary design situations or in regions of moderate seismicity, this type of analysis may present engineers with an unnecessary and large burden. An alternative approach is to use simplified techniques that require few calculations and provide reasonable estimates of expected response. Two of these simplified techniques are a flat-rate method, where primary building and element dimensions form the criterion, and a maximum allowable period method. The purpose of this paper is to provide a baseline for evaluating approximate analysis and design procedures with regards to the measured structural response of reinforced concrete structures.