Projects : Task Order 22

Development of a Collapse Indicator Methodology for Existing Reinforced Concrete Buildings

SUMMARY

The ATC-57 report, The Missing Piece: Improving Seismic Design and Construction Practices (ATC, 2003), which defines a roadmap for the NIST problem-focused research and development program in earthquake engineering, cited as a high priority need the identification of seismic capacities of existing non-ductile concrete frame buildings, and the number and distribution of such buildings nationwide. In 2006, the National Science Foundation awarded a George E. Brown, Jr. Network for Earthquake Engineering Simulation Research Grand Challenge (NEESR-GC) project entitled Mitigation of Collapse Risk in Vulnerable Concrete Buildings with the goal of developing comprehensive strategies for identifying seismically hazardous older concrete buildings and promoting effective hazard mitigation strategies for them.

In 2009, NIST awarded a task order to the NEHRP Consultants Joint Venture to perform an initial phase of work on the topic of non-ductile concrete buildings (ATC-76-5 Project). The resulting report, a Program Plan for the Development of Collapse Assessment and Mitigation Strategies for Existing Reinforced Concrete Buildings, provided a recommended plan for the development of nationally accepted guidelines for assessing and mitigating risks in older concrete buildings. Based on information contained in the Program Plan, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in 2010 awarded a task order to ATC to perform collapse sensitivity studies of older concrete buildings in support of the objectives of the program (ATC-78 Project). This work is ongoing at this time.

The primary objective of Task Order 22 is to initiate the first phase of work related to the development of a collapse indicator methodology, which is a key outcome of the recommended program. Work to be carried out under this task order includes: (1) project management and oversight, including the selection and confirmation of key project personnel; (2) preparation of a Project Work Plan; (3) update of a NIST project description; (4) identification of critical concrete building deficiencies and mitigation strategies; (5) selection of building prototypes; (6) identification of ground motions and component models for collapse simulation; (7) preparation of a project report; and (8) presentation of in-person progress reviews with NIST representatives.

Project Director: Ken Elwood, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada

Project Technical Committee members:

• Jack Baker, Stanford University, Stanford, California

• Craig Comartin, CD Comartin, Inc., Stockton, California

• William Holmes, Rutherford & Chekene, San Francisco, California

• Jack Moehle, University of California, Berkeley

• Peter Somers, Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Seattle, Washington

Project Review Panel members:

• JoAnn Browning, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas

• Greg Deierlein, Stanford University, Stanford, California