Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Journal of Earthquake Engineering, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
Two devastating earthquakes occurred on February 6, 2023, in Kahramanmaras Turkiye within 9 h. The epicenter of the first event is in Pazarcik sub-province of Kahramanmaras with a moment magnitude (Mw) of 7.8. Nine hours later the second event occurred with Mw = 7.5, of which the epicenter is close to the Elbistan sub-province of Kahramanmaras. This earthquake sequence caused multiple-fault ruptures with hundreds of kilometers, affecting 11 cities in the near field. The events caused a significant number of casualties along with substantial physical and economic losses. Many different building types in the region suffered damage during the earthquakes but RC frame buildings deserve special attention due to their extremely poor seismic performance. This study examines the inelastic seismic response characteristics of simplified structural systems under the selected ground motions during the 2023 Kahramanmaras Turkiye earthquakes by focusing on the seismic performance of Turkish RC frame buildings. Inelastic seismic demands of this building typology are assessed with idealized SDOF systems in terms of spectral acceleration and displacement. In addition, the effects of multiple wave packets and strong velocity pulses on the inelastic seismic behavior of idealized RC frame-building models are examined. The numerical results of the study verify the extraordinary nature of the selected ground motions in terms of inelastic seismic response. The inferior seismic performance of almost all RC frame-building subclasses, which generally follow field observations after the event, can be attributed to the double effect of the inherent flexibility of frame construction and demanding ground motions with the effects of multiple wave packets and strong velocity pulses.