Regional Seismic Damage Simulation of Corroded RC Frame Structures: A Case Study of Shenzhen City

Buildings in coastal cities are susceptible to chloride ion attack and the seismic performance of these buildings can be impaired due to corrosion of reinforcements. In this study, a regional seismic damage simulation method that considers the influence of corrosion-induced seismic performance degradation is proposed. Firstly, the framework of the method is introduced, and the simulation process is presented. Secondly, experimental data of corroded reinforced concrete (RC) components are collected to obtain the reduction rules of component level backbone curve parameters (i.e., initial stiffness, peak carrying capacity, peak displacement, and ultimate carrying capacity). Afterwards, pushover analyses of typical RC frames in different corrosion conditions (i.e., degree of corrosion of components and proportion of corroded components) are conducted to acquire the reduction rules of interstory backbone curve parameters of corroded RC frame structures. Finally, RC frame structures, in Shenzhen city, are simulated using different corrosion scenarios. Simulated results indicate that some buildings along the coastline are affected by airborne chloride-induced corrosion and severe seismic damage can be observed. Moreover, some buildings that are far from the coastline can also experience severe seismic damage due to irregular use of sea sand as constructional material. The proposed method can be used to simulate the seismic performance of corroded RC structures and the outcomes of this study are expected to provide a useful reference for the seismic risk management of coastal cities.