Estimation of Vertical Peak Floor Acceleration Demands in Elastic RC Moment-Resisting Frame Buildings

This paper assesses the vertical seismic accelerations in four 3-D elastic RC moment-resisting frame buildings with limited ductility, designed according to the National Building Code of Canada (NBC 2015). 65 near-fault strong motions recorded on dense soil were considered. The greatest amount of amplification of vertical acceleration was observed at the center of the buildings’ interior slab, with maximum median normalized values ranging from 4.0, in the 3-storey building, to 1.24, in the 12-storey building. This study indicates that the vertical earthquake motion should not be overlooked in the analysis and design process, especially in low-rise buildings.