Rehabilitation of a reinforced concrete frame using eccentric steel bracing

The seismic performance of a low-rise nonductile reinforced concrete (RC) building rehabilitated using eccentric steel bracing is investigated. A three-story office building was analyzed using various ground motion records. The effectiveness of the eccentric steel bracing in rehabilitating the building was examined. The effect of distributing the steel bracing over the height of the RC frame on the seismic performance of the rehabilitated building was studied. The behavior of the nonductile RC frame members is represented by a beam–column element capable of modeling the strength deterioration and the effect of the axial force on the yield moment and the deformation capacities at peak strength of the members. The link behavior is modeled using tri-linear moment and shear force representations. The performance of the building is evaluated in terms of story drifts and damage indices.