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Why weak beam and strong column combination are considered to be more earthquake resistant than strong beam and weak column combination?

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Question added by Muhammed Ahmed Hassaan , Structural designer , Cegman Consulting Engineering Group
Date Posted: 2013/09/08
Bedadyuti Dey
by Bedadyuti Dey , Site Engineer , Bridge and Roof co.(India) ltd

beams are genarally used to face bendind force and columns are used to face axial load. as the seismic load comes parallely with respect to earth surface. so the column faces the load pependicularly which is very risky for the column. after that load gets distributed to all the beams. for this reason columns must be strong to make the structure more earth quake resistant.

if we dont make the column strong enough it will colapsed by the siesmic load before transfering the load to the beams.

Wolf Klaas Kinsbergen
by Wolf Klaas Kinsbergen , Managing Director, Designer , ingenieursbureau KB International NV

The beams are used to stiffen the column structure during earthquakes, but calculate a part of the floor slab with the beams or you will have a problem in the rebar of the columns and the system doesn't work as you designed it

Muhammed Ahmed Hassaan
by Muhammed Ahmed Hassaan , Structural designer , Cegman Consulting Engineering Group

The followings are the major aspect of the strong column and weak beam concept, as follows :1-The overall structure is designed so it can develop inelastic structural behavior. 2-Column is designed stronger than beam it means during strong earthquake column member remain elastic so it can provide stability and strength of the stories above .3-The development of plastic hinge is forms at the end of beam , so the energy dissipation is occurs in the plastic hinge.  4-To ensure the perfect energy dissipation at plastic hinge, plastic hinge regionrequired special reinforcement detailing (confinement) to improve ductility, energy absorption capacity and perform inelasticity . *In the strong column and weak beam concept the beam is permitted to yields but the column remains elastic , The behavior of reinforced concrete beam is more ductile than the reinforcedconcrete column, so it is safer to design the location of plastic hinge forms at the end of beam rather at the column .

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