Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit of Concrete Buildings: A Practical Overview of the ATC 40 Document

The Applied Technology Council (ATC), with funding from the California Seismic Safety Commission developed the document, Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit of Concrete Buildings, commonly referred to as ATC 40. This two-volume, 612-page report provides a recommended procedure for the seismic evaluation and retrofit of concrete buildings. Although the focus is specifically on concrete buildings, the document provides information on emerging techniques applicable to most building types. This paper provides an introduction and overview of the document. The conceptual basis of the procedures is performance-based design using nonlinear static structural analysis. The ATC 40 document comprises a practical guide to the entire evaluation and retrofit process. Topics include performance objectives, seismic hazard, determination of deficiencies, retrofit strategies, quality assurance procedures, nonlinear static analysis using the capacity spectrum method, modeling recommendations, foundation effects, and response limits.