Performance-Based Assessment Techniques for Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit of Steel Structures Under Design and Extreme Earthquakes

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In recent years, several large magnitude earthquakes have occurred (Northridge 1994, Japan, New Zealand, 2011), which have demonstrated the collapse potential of buildings designed in accordance with current and past seismic provisions. The Canadian Risk and Hazards Network indicates that a design level earthquake is probably Canada's greatest potential natural threat since most of the urban infrastructure was constructed prior to the introduction of modern seismic provisions. The Canadian Seismic Network concluded that a significant earthquake is likely to occur in the east and west coast of Canada. Hence the collapse potential of Canadian infrastructure needs to be assessed using a rigorous framework that will contribute to informed decisions in the best interest of society. This will also help stakeholders to make informed decisions on seismic mitigation that will guarantee seismic resilience of critical infrastructure. In the context of earthquake resistant design, this framework needs to be practical and feasible so that engineers can (1) use assessment techniques to derive structural properties that comply with specific targets for a required level of collapse safety and (2) decide on effective retrofit techniques for critical infrastructure. The proposed research program addresses these issues by: 1. The development of hysteretic models that extend modeling capabilities of structural elements such as beams and columns near collapse through experimental testing; Improvement of national and international seismic design guidelines through development of innovative collapse mitigation strategies; 2. advancing on new ways on seismic retrofit of existing buildings; evaluating the effectiveness of alternative retrofit systems with economic losses as a metric; and by, 3. training of Highly Qualified Personnel (HQP) and developing technology transfer mechanisms to disseminate knowledge to end users and stakeholders on how to increase the seismic robustness of infrastructure.