SEISMIC FRAGILITY STUDIES ON LOW-RISE AND MID-RISE REINFORCED CONCRETE FRAME BUILDINGS USING DUZCE DATABASE Author : M.ALTUG ERBERIK,SERDAR CULLU

In the last decade, severe earthquakes near urban areas have caused substantial physical losses and casualties in Turkey. Since the majority of the population is living in earthquake-prone areas, it is probable that such terrible events will take place again in the near future. Moreover, it is not easy to cope with the substantial direct and indirect economical losses after each devastating earthquake for a developing country like Turkey. Therefore it is vital to quantify the earthquake risk and to develop strategies for disaster mitigation. In order to achieve this goal, an extensive and inter-disciplinary study is required. Such a study is composed of two parts: hazard determination and vulnerability assessment. The part of the study related to structural engineering is the determination of the vulnerability of existing engineering structures and building stock. This paper focuses on low-rise and mid-rise reinforced concrete frame buildings, which constitute
approximately 75% of the total building stock in Turkey and which are generally occupied for residential
purposes.