Effects of near-field pulse-like ground motions on reinforced concrete frame structures

This paper presents the results of research on response characteristics of reinforced concrete frame structures subjected to near-field pulse-like ground motions, and on the appropriate seismic ground motion parameters which can be used in damage estimations. The behaviors of reinforced concrete frame structures subjected to near-field pulse-like and far-field ground motions are compared. Four main aspects are included in the comparisons: elastic response spectra, roof displacement, story drift ratio and base shear. The comparisons show that there are many differences between near-field pulse-like and far-field ground motions, and the near-field ground motions result in much more demand. A mild decline due to abundant low frequencies is found in the responsive spectra for near-field pulse-like ground motions. It is recommended that the peak ground velocity (PGV) and ground energy density (E) are the parameters that can be used to estimate the damage degree of structures in the near-field environment.