Influence of Damping on the Seismic Response of High-Rise Reinforced Concrete Buildings

Maraví V.H.; De la Cruz Taipe B.; Pérez Montesinos J.F. · SSRG International Journal of Civil Engineering (2026) · DOI: 10.14445/23488352/ijce-v13i5p123

Resumen

Recent earthquakes have highlighted that, in addition to their strength, the seismic resistance of reinforced concrete buildings is related to their ability to dissipate energy (damping). In engineering practice, the most common approach for the critical damping in dynamic analysis is to consider a reference value of 5% in building codes, but some experimental and analytical research have shown that the real values in reinforced concrete buildings often have a damping ratio in the range of 2% and 3%. This may result in an underestimation or overestimation of the seismic demand, affecting the safety and economic aspects of the structure. This paper aims to determine the effect of the damping ratio on the seismic performance of reinforced concrete buildings, considering the 5% normative as a reference. A numerical study was conducted with ETABS software for a 17-floor and 4-basement level building in Lima, Peru. The structure was modelled as a reinforced concrete shear wall, with overall damping ratios set at 2%, 3%, 4% and 5%. Loads were evaluated considering the E.020 code (gravitational loads) and E.030 code (seismic loads), using the modal response spectrum, with accidental eccentricities in both directions. It was found that decreasing the damping ratio from 5% to 2% caused substantial increases in structural response. Displacements increased from 252 mm to 310 mm, interstory drift from 0.0053 to 0.0066, and base shear from 632 tonf to 805 tonf, with the largest changes in the Y-axis. The results verified the effects of changing the damping ratio on the seismic response and also demonstrate the need to use more realistic values. The findings of this research offer quantitative data that can inform seismic design practices in order to improve safety and economy. The main weakness of this research is that the analyses were linear and only one building typology was considered; for this reason, future studies should consider nonlinear analyses and other structural typologies, increasing the generalisation potential of these findings.

Instituciones: Universidad Continental