Seismic fragility analysis of RC structures: use of response surface for a realistic application

A statistical approach for seismic reliability problems is applied in the assessment of an RC frame structure. The procedure establishes a response surface, characterised by a statistical model of the mixed type, to represent the seismic capacity in an analytical limit-state function. The fragility function of the system is then calculated by FORM analysis, with the constructed empirical limit-state function as input. The application concentrates on the clarification of implementation issues, and confirms the versatility of the method in realistic problems