SEISMIC CONSIDERATION OF SOFT STORY IN RC FRAME BUILDINGS USING VARIOUS NATIONAL CODES

For seismically active zone like Nepal, designing a structure and considering the effect on it has been indispensable for the safety of lives and properties. More specifically, soft story condition is the foremost failure that has been accounted from the devastating Earthquake of 2015. To deal with the most efficient process of designing, both linear static and linear dynamic analysis are considered. Moreover, these analysis approaches are performed for the five bare frames with slab models, designed by ETABS with change of base story height. Furthermore, to assure the most viable and safe criteria, these models are checked according to three national codes viz., Japanese code, Turkish code and IS code on the basis of stiffness and drift ratio. With further investigation, different codes depict soft story failure at different models and thus, deals with maintaining the structural integrity and performance at their own level. Through calculations, it is clear that Japanese and Turkish code portrays soft story differently according to static and dynamic analysis whereas, IS code is impartial to the analysis method. Additionally, study shows shear wall in the bare frame model stiffens the building thereby impeding the collapse from soft story failure.