Life-cycle cost assessment of concrete structures reinforced with high-performance cement-based composites

Abstract

Major seismic events pose significant challenges to communities, where structural damage can delay the functional recovery of critical infrastructure. While improving seismic performance remains a priority, the life-cycle cost (LCC) implications of mitigation strategies are not fully understood. This study presents a numerical framework that integrates fragility analysis with LCC assessment across multiple seismic intensities to evaluate low-rise reinforced concrete frames strengthened with different high-performance cement-based composites (HPCCs). Conventional concrete at the beam-column joints is replaced with HPCCs containing polypropylene, steel, and polyvinyl alcohol fibers. Structural performance is evaluated through nonlinear static and dynamic analyses, and damage probabilities and direct losses are estimated using simulation-based methods. The results of the pushover analysis show that HPCCs significantly enhanced structural performance, with steel fiber-reinforced composite increasing initial stiffness, ultimate base shear, and energy absorption capacity by up to 23%, 16%, and 21%, respectively. At higher seismic intensities, composite with polyvinyl alcohol fibers, particularly PVA8, improved dynamic performance by reducing the fundamental period and limiting period elongation. Although HPCCs slightly increased initial construction costs, they reduced expected losses by up to 21% at a spectral acceleration of 1.0 g. Over the building life cycle, HPCC-strengthened frames consistently achieved lower LCCs, with the PVA8 composite reducing total life-cycle costs by up to 10.8% compared with conventional concrete. These findings demonstrate that HPCC integration at critical joints is an effective strategy for improving both seismic resilience and long-term economic sustainability of reinforced concrete buildings.