Comparison of design equivalent seismic load and the demand of February, 2023 Kahramanmaras Earthquake (Turkey) on RC buildings

Turkey is located on one of the most active fault systems and has been hit by many destructive earthquakes. On February 6, 2023 two destructive Kahramanmaras Earthquakes; Mw 7.7 Pazarcik and Mw 7.6 Elbistan, hit south-eastern part of Turkey, 9 hours apart from each other. This unique wordwide seismic activity affected a wide area covering 11 provinces and, undoubtedly caused widespread destruction, heavy damage and loss of lives. In particular settlements, the ground motion exceeded the design earthquake levels specified in 2018 Turkish Seismic Design Code. New buildings exposed to greater effects than their design seismic loads. Therefore, unlike the case in other major earthquakes in Turkey, some new buildings designed in accordance with current seismic code were heavily damaged/collapsed during Kahramanmaras Earthquakes. A preliminary comparative analysis was conducted between the design equivalent seismic load (base shear force) of RC buildings regarding to 1975, 2007 and 2018 Turkish Seismic Design Codes and the shear force demand of Kahramanmaras Earthquakes. The preliminary analysis aimed to present the change in the equivalent earthquake load values regarding the revisions made in seismic codes. As a result of the analysis, it is concluded that the design spectrum in Turkish Seismic Design Code 2018 is needed to be reconsidered to enhance the seismic resilience of ordinary RC buildings.