Response of R/C Buildings during the 1987 Whittier Narrows Earthquake

Strong motion records from several reinforced concrete structures were recovered after the 1987 Whittier, California earthquake. The objective of this paper is to present the highlights of a research study which was performed to review the available data from reinforced concrete buildings, to select representative buildings, and to analyze these buildings using available computer programs for linear analysis. Linear-elastic mathematical models were built for each structure based on the physical properties of the structural members. A comparison of the results of the computer analysis to the available measured responses data showed good agreement for the majority of the buildings studied. Limited studies on the effects of damping variation and soil-structure interaction were performed. The results of this study have led to the conclusion that the linear dynamic analysis can realistically predict the response of reinforced concrete structures subjected to small to moderate earthquakes. The deviations from the elastic response were consistent with the observed damage of the structures during the Whittier earthquake.