The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) is conducting a large “area of emphasis�? research project on precast concrete diaphragms. The effort, jointly funded by the National Science Foundation, has an overall objective of developing an industry-endorsed comprehensive seismic design methodology for precast/prestressed concrete floor diaphragms. A multi-university research team from the University of Arizona (UA), Lehigh University (LU), and the University of California San Diego (UCSD) has been selected to perform this collaborative research. An active industry task group is overseeing the planning and execution phases of the research. These groups comprise the DSDM (Diaphragm Seismic Design Methodology) Consortium. The OSOM Consortium research closely integrates finite element analyses of the diaphragm at UA with full-scale reinforcing detail experiments at LU and shaking table system tests at UCSD. The purpose of this article and a companion paper is to outline the foundation for this research, and provide context for the technical papers to follow as well as the eventual design methodology. During the DSDM project’s first year, consensus has been established on: (1) the under lying design philosophy that will guide the research; (2) the physical scope of the project; and (3) the integrated analytical/experimental research program. This paper describes the underlying design philosophy and the resulting framework that will serve as a basis for the emerging design methodology. The companion paper focuses on the research program itself, including the integrated research approach, the project’s physical scope, and the specific analytical and experimental research activities.
