Damage assessment of a deficient reinforced concrete frame subjected to different seismic levels

![CDATA[Many reinforced concrete (RC) buildings around the world designed and built based on old codes may sustain certain levels of damage or even collapse when subjected to earthquakes, as has been evident in recent earthquakes. Decision on strengthening versus demolition can be made based on evaluation of potential damage the building might suffer as a result of earthquake. In this study, the issues of identification, location and quantification of the damage imparted to a tested 3-storey RC frame designed based only for gravity loads are investigated and compared with those from experiment. After calibration, series of different seismic levels based on current seismic codes are applied to the frame and corresponding damage levels and failure mechanisms are obtained. The results demonstrate the potential of using damage index to quantitatively identify and locate the probable damage distribution in the building at a statistically expected earthquake.]]