Multi-objective optimal seismic design of buildings using advanced engineering materials

Previous studies have addressed the design and assessment of buildings under seismic loading considering a single societal level objective, namely, safety. Seismic design codes and regulations also center on this objective. A seismic design framework that concurrently addresses the societal-level objectives of safety, economy and sustainability using consistent tools at every component of the analysis is presented. A high-performance material; namely, engineered cementitious composites (ECC) is utilized to achieve the objectives of the study. ECC is superior to concrete in many aspects, but most importantly in its properties of energy absorption, shear resistance and damage tolerance, all of which are utilized in the proposed procedure. The behavior of ECC is characterized through an experimental program at the small-scale (scale factor equal to 1/8). ECC mixtures with different cost and sustainability indices are considered. Numerical modeling of ECC is also performed to carry out structural level simulations to complement the experimental data. A constitutive model is developed for ECC and validated at the material, component and system levels.