Daños sísmicos probables en el Hospital Universitario de Los Andes usando el método del espectro de capacidad

Abstract

This study evaluates the behavior in the inelastic range of twelve frames from Sector C1 of the University Hospital located in the city of Merida, during three probable earthquakes: El Centro North-South 1940, Taft 1952 and Caleta 1985. The last two were modified to account for the depth of the rock stratum. The program used for the analysis was IDARC, applying the Capacity Spectrum Method. Due to the large spans and weights acting on the building, the beams were divided in three spans. From the study it was observed that a greater concentration of energy occurred in the intermediate points of the beams, this shows a damage distribution pattern quite different from the one found in a normal elastic analysis, or in an inelastic analysis which does not consider the possibility of hinge formation in the points mentioned above. To determine the capacity curve of the structure, initially, the vertical forces were considered, but it was found that they have little influence on the curve. It was observed in most of the frames that the greater drift occurred in the second floor, and the biggest values were found with El Centro earthquake, which indicates that the building will undergo more damage under the effect of this earthquake. The biggest dissipation energies occurred between the first and second floors. From the results, it can be concluded that Sector C1 of the University Hospital will show great damage under the effect of El Centro earthquake and excessive damage to non-structural elements under the effect of all the earthquakes studied.