Comparative study of seismic performance of multistoried reinforced concrete buildings with different slab systems

Flat slab system is becoming widely popular for multistory buildings due to its several advantages, e.g., easy to construct, economical, larger clear height, and lesser building height, as well as for their flexibility in architectural remodeling. Though flat slab structures have several advantages, their performance under earthquake loading is doubtful. They are very flexible and undergo large deflection under lateral load induced by the earthquake and generally fail in punching shear mode, which is a brittle mode of failure and reduces the structures' ductility. This research goal is investigating alternative structural slab systems to improve seismic performance and durability of structures. Two more alternative reinforced concrete slabs are analyzed and compared. Three groups of buildings are classified according to the height and fundamental period of vibration. Low-rise buildings (6 stories), mid-rise buildings (12 stories), and high-rise buildings (18 stories) with three different slab systems (flat slab, solid slab, and waffle slab) are analyzed. Nonlinear pushover static analysis is used to predict the behavior of buildings under seismic effects to estimate the strength capacity beyond its elastic limit up to its ultimate strength in the post-elastic range. The method also predicts potential weak areas in the structure by keeping track of the sequence of damages of every member in the structure. The seismic response assessment is based on the global structure behavior, seismic performance level, maximum story drift, maximum displacement, numbers of plastic hinges occurred, and base shear.