Seismic Vulnerability Of Structures

This book is focused on the seismic vulnerability assessment methods, applied to existing buildings, describing several behaviors and new approaches for assessment on a large scale (urban area). It is clear that the majority of urban centers are composed of old buildings, designed according to concepts and rules that are inadequate to the seismic context. How to assess the vulnerability of existing buildings is an essential step to improve the management of seismic risk and its prevention policy. After some key reminders, this book describes seismic vulnerability methods applied to a large number of structures (buildings and bridges) in moderate (France, Switzerland) and strong seismic prone regions (Italy, Greece). Contents 1. Seismic Vulnerability of Existing Buildings: Observational and Mechanical Approaches for Application in Urban Areas, Sergio Lagomarsino and Serena Cattari. 2. Mechanical Methods: Fragility Curves and Pushover Analysis, Caterina Negulescu and Pierre Gehl. 3. Seismic Vulnerability and Loss Assessment for Buildings in Greece, Andreas J. Kappos. 4. Experimental Method: Contribution of Ambient Vibration Recordings to the Vulnerability Assessment, Clotaire Michel and Philippe Guéguen. 5. Numerical Model: Simplified Strategies for Vulnerability Seismic Assessment of Existing Structures, Cédric Desprez, Panagiotis Kotronis and Stéphane Grange. 6. Approach Based on the Risk Used in Switzerland, Pierino Lestuzzi. 7. Preliminary Evaluation of the Seismic Vulnerability of Existing Bridges, Denis Davi. About the Authors Philippe Guéguen is a Senior IFSTTAR Researcher at ISTerre, Joseph Fourier University Grenoble 1, France

This book is a printed edition of the Special Issue Reducing the Seismic Vulnerability of Existing Buildings: Assessment and Retrofit that was published in Buildings

Seismic Vulnerability Assessment of Civil Engineering Structures at Multiple Scales: From Single Buildings to Large-Scale Assessment provides an integrated, multiscale platform for fundamental and applied studies on the seismic vulnerability assessment of civil engineering structures, including buildings with different materials and building typologies. The book shows how various outputs obtained from different scales and layers of assessment (from building scale to the urban area) can be used to outline and implement effective risk mitigation, response and recovery strategies. In addition, it highlights how significant advances in earthquake engineering research have been achieved with the rise of new technologies and techniques. The wide variety of construction and structural systems associated with the complex behavior of their materials significantly limits the application of current codes and building standards to the existing building stock, hence this book is a welcomed guide on new construction standards and practices. Provides the theoretical backgrounds on the most advanced seismic vulnerability assessment approaches at different scales and for most common building typologies Covers the most common building typologies and the materials they are made from, such as concrete, masonry, steel, timber and raw earth Presents practical guidelines on how the outputs coming from such approaches can be used to outline effective risk mitigation and emergency planning strategies

Earthquakes represent a major risk to buildings, bridges and other civil infrastructure systems, causing catastrophic loss to modern society. Handbook of seismic risk analysis and management of civil infrastructure systems reviews the state of the art in the seismic risk analysis and management of civil infrastructure systems. Part one reviews research in the quantification of uncertainties in ground motion and seismic hazard assessment. Part twi discusses methodologies in seismic risk analysis and management, whilst parts three and four cover the application of seismic risk assessment to buildings, bridges, pipelines and other civil infrastructure systems. Part five also discusses methods for quantifying dependency between different infrastructure systems. The final part of the book considers ways of assessing financial and other losses from earthquake damage as well as setting insurance rates. Handbook of seismic risk analysis and management of civil infrastructure systems is an invaluable guide for professionals requiring understanding of the impact of earthquakes on buildings and lifelines, and the seismic risk assessment and management of buildings, bridges and transportation. It also provides a comprehensive overview of seismic risk analysis for researchers and engineers within these fields. This important handbook reviews the wealth of recent research in the area of seismic hazard analysis in modern earthquake design code provisions and practices Examines research into the analysis of ground motion and seismic hazard assessment, seismic risk hazard methodologies Addresses the assessment of seismic risks to buildings, bridges, water supply systems and other aspects of civil infrastructure

This book represents a significant step toward a new contribution in the process of developing the seismic vulnerability index. This is accomplished by releasing or reducing the role of the rapid visual screening that is created by the opinions and decisions of experts, which depend on observations made while investigating the vulnerability damages caused by earthquakes. Alternatively, the computational analytical technique is preferable since it can be effective in determining the seismic vulnerability index before the occurrence of an earthquake by modeling the most affected influencing parameters that regulate the building performance. In addition, the seismic vulnerability index is supported by the vulnerability curves, which describe the probability of damages and are used to estimate the economic damage grade for each building which is the topic of inquiry. In the end, this helps to establish a clear vision and sort of recommendations for engineers and specialists to follow in order to take into consideration certain indices and factors before designing any specific structure. Because of this, the simplified work is utilized to manage and put into action measures that will protect against the effects of seismic events before an earthquake really occurs. In addition to this benefit, the work that has been done is of significant assistance to the authorities that are accountable for the restoration of the preexisting buildings and the cultural heritages.

Research studies on the preparation for and mitigation of future earthquakes, an area of increasing importance to many countries around the world, comprise this volume. The selected papers included in this book have been prepared by experts from around the world in the fields of earthquake engineering relevant to the design of structures. As the world’s population has concentrated in urban areas resulting in buildings in regions of high seismic vulnerability, we have seen the consequences of natural disasters take an ever higher toll on human existence. Protecting the built environment in earthquake-prone regions involves not only the optimal design and construction of new facilities, but also the upgrading and rehabilitation of existing structures including heritage buildings, which is an important area of research. Major earthquakes and associated effects, such as tsunamis, continue to stress the need to carry out more research and a better understanding of these phenomena is required to design earthquake resistant buildings and to carry out risk assessment and vulnerability studies.

The Rapid Visual Screening (RVS) handbook can be used by trained personnel to identify, inventory, and screen buildings that are potentially seismically vulnerable. The RVS procedure comprises a method and several forms that help users to quickly identify, inventory, and score buildings according to their risk of collapse if hit by major earthquakes. The RVS handbook describes how to identify the structural type and key weakness characteristics, how to complete the screening forms, and how to manage a successful RVS program.