New factors for the seismic vulnerability assessment of reinforced concrete buildings

Strong earthquakes recorded worldwide have indicated less known failure modes of reinforced concrete structures, produced by new factors which should be accounted in future seismic evaluation methods of buildings. These new factors for the vulnerability assessment of buildings have been highlighted by recent seismic recordings. Equipment placed on various construction elements provided new information on the characteristics of the seismic waves, the distribution of seismic waves in the building and the mode in which buildings interact with other neighbouring buildings, the variation of the seismic acceleration's vertical components, and the influence of the foundation ground on the failure mechanisms. Inthis article, there are presented these new factors and the unknown brittle failure modes developed by reinforced concrete buildings subjected to seismic action between 2009 and 2011. These presented factors should be introduced in the near future in the seismic vulnersbility assessment of buildings as well as in the seismic design codes.