Response‐based damage assessment of structures

The structure's ability to survive an earthquake may be measured in terms of the expected state of damage of the structure after the earthquake. Damage may be quantified by using any of several damage indices defined as functions whose values can be related to particular structural damage states. A number of available response‐based damage indices are discussed and critically evaluated for their applicability in seismic damage evaluation. A new rational approach for damage assessment is presented which provides a measure of the physical response characteristics of the structure and is better suited for non‐linear structural analysis. A practical method based on the static pushover analysis is proposed to estimate the expected damage to structures when subjected to earthquakes of different intensities. Results of the analysis of ductile and non‐ductile reinforced concrete buildings show that the proposed procedure for damage assessment gives a simple, consistent and rational damage indicator for structures. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.