Seismic Upgrading of Existing Reinforced Concrete Buildings Using Friction Pendulum Devices: A Probabilistic Evaluation

In many countries around the world a huge number of existing reinforced concrete (RC) structures have been realized without account for seismic detailing, even if they are located in areas subjected to high seismicity. In this context, several passive seismic protection techniques have been developed and applied to retrofit these structures such as, for an example, seismic isolation. The aim of this work is to characterize in probabilistic terms the seismic performance of a framed RC building retrofitted by means of sliding friction pendulum (FPS) devices. Specifically, the response of an existing RC building located in a high seismicity area in Italy is investigated. After the description of the main available information about the structure, a non-linear numerical model has been defined by means of fiber-elements approach. Then, non-linear dynamic analyses considering multiple recorded ground motions with the three accelerometric components have been carried out to assess the seismic response of the building with and without the retrofitting intervention composed of FPS isolators. Finally, the results are processed to achieve a probabilistic assessment of the seismic performance of the retrofitting intervention.