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Performance-Based Seismic Evaluation of Reinforced Concrete Moment-Resisting Frames: A Comparative Study of FBD and DBD
Subject area: Science,Engineering and Technology · Area of research: Reinforced Concrete
Abstract
The seismic performance of reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures has traditionally been evaluated using force-based design procedures, wherein seismic demand is represented through equivalent lateral forces derived from elastic response spectra. Although this approach has been widely adopted in national and international design codes, it primarily focuses on strength requirements and often provides only an indirect estimate of actual structural damage during earthquake events. Recent developments in performance-based earthquake engineering have highlighted the importance of displacement as a more realistic indicator of structural performance and damage. Consequently, displacement-based design methodologies have gained considerable attention due to their ability to directly relate structural response to predefined performance objectives. The present study investigates and compares the seismic performance of reinforced concrete moment-resisting frame buildings designed using Force-Based Design (FBD) and Displacement-Based Design (DBD) approaches. Three regular reinforced concrete frame structures consisting of 8, 10 and 12 storeys were modeled and analyzed using ETABS software. The buildings were designed in accordance with the provisions of IS 1893:2016 and subjected to seismic loading representative of Indian earthquake-prone regions. Response Spectrum Analysis was employed to evaluate the force-based response of the structures, while nonlinear pushover analysis was adopted to assess displacement-based seismic behavior and performance characteristics.
Keywords
force-based design, displacement-based design, reinforced concrete frames, seismic performance, performance-based seismic design, etabs, pushover analysis, earthquake engineering.
How to cite this paper
@article{1722395,
author = {Ashutosh Luhania, Hemant Agarwal, Sunil Kumar, Vijay Saini},
title = {Performance-Based Seismic Evaluation of Reinforced Concrete Moment-Resisting Frames: A Comparative Study of FBD and DBD},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {2},
pages = {1563-1578},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1722395.pdf},
abstract = {The seismic performance of reinforced concrete (RC) frame structures has traditionally been evaluated using force-based design procedures, wherein seismic demand is represented through equivalent lateral forces derived from elastic response spectra. Although this approach has been widely adopted in national and international design codes, it primarily focuses on strength requirements and often provides only an indirect estimate of actual structural damage during earthquake events. Recent developments in performance-based earthquake engineering have highlighted the importance of displacement as a more realistic indicator of structural performance and damage. Consequently, displacement-based design methodologies have gained considerable attention due to their ability to directly relate structural response to predefined performance objectives. The present study investigates and compares the seismic performance of reinforced concrete moment-resisting frame buildings designed using Force-Based Design (FBD) and Displacement-Based Design (DBD) approaches. Three regular reinforced concrete frame structures consisting of 8, 10 and 12 storeys were modeled and analyzed using ETABS software. The buildings were designed in accordance with the provisions of IS 1893:2016 and subjected to seismic loading representative of Indian earthquake-prone regions. Response Spectrum Analysis was employed to evaluate the force-based response of the structures, while nonlinear pushover analysis was adopted to assess displacement-based seismic behavior and performance characteristics.},
keywords = {force-based design, displacement-based design, reinforced concrete frames, seismic performance, performance-based seismic design, etabs, pushover analysis, earthquake engineering.},
month = {August},
}