A two-level performance-based design of reinforced concrete structural walls

Performance-based design can be defined as a systematic method of designing structural systems to achieve predictable and desirable performance of both structural and non-structural elements. In order to ensure the desirable performance of buildings at different design levels, the strength, stiffness, and deformability of the structures should be reasonably proportioned.To achieve this proportionality, a performance-based design of reinforced concrete (RC) structural walls at the serviceability and life-safety levels is presented.It should be mentioned that, although the equations developed in this study, at the life safety level, are for structural walls, the general procedure is equally applicable to any kind of RC structural systems. It is initially shown that, except for short period structures, increasing the strength of wall sections, by adding more flexural reinforcement, has negligible effects on the structural performance at the life-safety level, where the structural system undergoes significant in elastic behavior. Then, the following step by step procedure is used to design the structural system. 1) For the serviceability level earthquake, th