A comparison of structural analyses procedures for earthquake-resistant design of buildings

Several seismic analysis procedures in the latest standards have been developed for structural design and assessment. Since these methods have different advantages and limitations, a comprehensive comparison of these procedures is required to select the most effective one. The three most common methods are the Equivalent Lateral Force (ELF) method, Modal Response Spectrum (MRS) analysis, and Linear Response History (LRH) analysis. This research intends to present a comparative study of these methods, according to ASCE 7-16 standard by utilizing ETABS (R) software. They were examined in terms of base shear and distribution of story shear forces for a sixth-story reinforced concrete (RC) building, designed according to ACI 318-19 standard. Building code requirements for RC structures with the dual lateral force-resisting system in a high seismic zone are discussed. The results show that the ELF procedure's base shear for the building under consideration is conservative compared to the MRS or LRH analysis. The vertical distribution of the ELF procedure is just a function of the structure's fundamental period; however, the advantage of the MRS and LRH analysis is that they provide information as to how the distribution of mass and stiffness of a structure influences the member forces and displacements.