Evaluation de la vulnérabilité sismique des bâtiments en béton armé par l’utilisation des courbes de fragilités (Seismic vulnerability assessment of reinforced concrete Buildings using fragility curves)

The study of damage in the wake of recent earthquakes in the United States (1989 Loma Prieta, Northridge 1994), Japan (Kobe 1995), Canada (Saguenay 1988) and in other parts of the world has demonstrated the seismic vulnerability of existing buildings. In urban areas, this vulnerability, combined with a significant concentration of buildings built before the introduction of seismic standards, may result in a high seismic risk, even in areas where the seismicity is considered moderate. The seismic vulnerability of buildings can be assessed by quantifying the damage to structural and non structural elements, the use of fragility curves is a powerful tool in this area, and we propose in this paper to assess the seismic vulnerability of a reinforced concrete building by the use of fragility curves.