Taking an 80-meters-span singer-layer reticulated dome which have been constructed in the Shenbei New District as an example, the failure mechanism of the singer-layer reticulated dome under severe earthquakes were analyzed with the FE software ANSYS. Based on the data of the numerical analysis and the test of the joints, the bending performance of bolt-ball joints were obtained and introduced into the numerical analysis considering the joint stiffness. Different structure models were established to investigate the effect of structure model changes, including the strengthening the local members and joints and installing maintenance materials on the surface of the structure. The analysis indicates that the failure mechanism of this structure is the collapse due to the dynamic instability of the structures while the local joints are damaged instantaneously and massively. The reinforcement of the reticulated dome merely improves the behavior of the structures in normal service condition, but it cannot improve the ultimate bearing capacity. The seismic response including displacement and support reaction increase obviously by installing maintenance panels on the existing surface, while the ultimate bearing capacity of the structures reduces by 57.1% and its seismic capacity decreases largely.