Seismic performance assessment of reinforce concrete: a case study of Kanti Children's Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal

Abstract

Structures should be ensured good structural performance in the event of high magnitude earthquakes. This thesis is built around a case study of Kanti Children’s Hospital, Kathmandu, Nepal where there is a history of high magnitude earthquakes. A seismic performance assessment was performed for the structural system of Kanti Children’s Hospital as a measure of quality assurance. The theory chapter of thesis will provide the underlying theory for seismic hazards, structural modelling and analysis, and seismic code applications. For the structural analyses of the case study, a combination of linear (lateral force, response spectrum and modal time-history) and nonlinear (pushover and direct integration time history) analyses were performed. While the structural design of the case study complies with the Indian seismic code (IS1893), with a few limitations, the difference is seismic demand compared to the European seismic code (EC8) is substantial. The structure is not expected to comply with the criteria of Eurocode 8. The performance assessment was conducted after a performance based seismic design approach, with acceptance criteria from FEMA 356 and ASCE 41-13. The structure was subjected to seismic loading equivalent of earthquakes with 50%-, 10%- and 2% probability of occurrence in 50 years. The following results were obtained:

The stairway tower is considered to be the weak-point of the structure. To increase the performance the focus should be put into reducing the overall torsional irregularity and strengthening the stairway.