Journals Proceedings

Abstract

It is well established by different seismic damage surveys conducted all over the world that the asymmetric structures are more susceptible to seismic damage than their symmetric counterparts. Moreover, it is also pointed out by a number of previous research effort that such damage in asymmetric structures is more aggravated in R/C structures due to progressive strength and stiffness degradation of R/C structural elements. Community structures like auditoriums generally have load resisting elements distributed only near the boundary region of the structures leaving a large empty space at the central region. Seismic behaviour of such type of R/C asymmetric systems are investigated in a limited form (Dutta, 2001) considering only spectrum consistent far field ground excitations. However, study of such systems under near-fault ground excitations are also of great importance as there may be a huge gathering of people inside an auditoriums and amount of energy input to the structural systems will be much more in nearfault ground motions are than their far-field counter parts. On this aspect the present research effort investigates the responses of such auditorium like community structural systems with asymmetry under a number of real earthquake ground excitations of near-fault nature.