On the treatment of uncertainty in seismic vulnerability and portfolio risk assessment

In a related study developed by the authors, building fragility is represented by intensity‐specific distributions of damage exceedance probability of various damage states. The contribution of the latter has been demonstrated in the context of loss estimation of building portfolios, where it is shown that the proposed concept of conditional fragility functions provides the link between seismic intensity and the uncertainty in damage exceedance probabilities. In the present study, this methodology is extended to the definition of building vulnerability, whereby vulnerability functions are characterized by hazard‐consistent distributions of damage ratio per level of primary seismic intensity parameter—Sa(T₁). The latter is further included in a loss assessment framework, in which the impact of variability and spatial correlation of damage ratio in the probabilistic evaluation of seismic loss is accounted for, using test‐bed portfolios of 2, 5, and 8‐story precode reinforced concrete buildings located in the district of Lisbon, Portugal. This methodology is evaluated in comparison with current state‐of‐the‐art methods of vulnerability and loss calculation, highlighting the discrepancies that can arise in loss estimates when the variability and spatial distributions of damage ratio, influenced by ground motion properties other than the considered primary intensity measure, are not taken into account.     

Development and assessment of damage‐to‐loss models for moment‐frame reinforced concrete buildings

The assessment of earthquake loss often requires the definition of a relation between a measure of damage and a quantity of loss, usually achieved through the employment of a damage‐to‐loss model. These models are frequently characterized by a large variability, which inevitably increases the uncertainty in the vulnerability assessment and earthquake loss estimation. This study provides an insight on the development of damage‐to‐loss functions for moment‐frame reinforced concrete buildings through an analytical methodology. Tri‐dimensional finite element models of existing reinforced concrete buildings were subjected to a number of ground motion records compatible with the seismicity in the region of interest, through nonlinear dynamic analysis. These results were used to assess, for a number of damage states, the probability distribution of loss ratio, taking into consideration member damage and different repair techniques, as well as to derive sets of fragility functions. Then, a vulnerability model (in terms of the ratio of cost of repair to cost of replacement, conditional on the level of ground shaking intensity) was derived and compared with the vulnerability functions obtained through the combination of various damage‐to‐loss models with the set of fragility functions developed herein. In order to provide realistic estimates of economic losses due to seismic action, a comprehensive study on repair costs using current Portuguese market values was also carried out. The results of this study highlight important issues in the derivation of vulnerability functions, which are a fundamental component for an adequate seismic risk assessment. © 2015 The Authors. Earthquake Engineering & Structural Dynamics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Evaluation of a recently proposed record selection and scaling procedure for low‐rise to mid‐rise reinforced concrete buildings and its use for probabilistic risk assessment studies

This paper evaluates a recent record selection and scaling procedure of the authors that can determine the probabilistic structural response of buildings behaving either in the elastic or post‐elastic range. This feature marks a significant strength on the procedure as the probabilistic structural response distribution conveys important information on probability‐based damage assessment. The paper presents case studies that show the utilization of the proposed record selection and scaling procedure as a tool for the estimation of damage states and derivation of site‐specific and region‐specific fragility functions. The method can be used to describe exceedance probabilities of damage limits under a certain target hazard level with known annual exceedance rate (via probabilistic seismic hazard assessment). Thus, the resulting fragility models can relate the seismicity of the region (or a site) with the resulting building performance in a more accurate manner. Under this context, this simple and computationally efficient record selection and scaling procedure can be benefitted significantly by probability‐based risk assessment methods that have started to be considered as indispensable for developing robust earthquake loss models. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Loss estimation for non‐ductile reinforced concrete building in Victoria,British Columbia,Canada: effects of mega‐thrust Mw9‐class subduction earthquakes and aftershocks

This paper presents, within the performance‐based earthquake engineering framework, a comprehensive probabilistic seismic loss estimation method that accounts for main sources of uncertainty related to hazard, vulnerability, and loss. The loss assessment rigorously integrates multiple engineering demand parameters (maximum and residual inter‐story drift ratio and peak floor acceleration) with consideration of mainshock–aftershock sequences. A 4‐story non‐ductile reinforced concrete building located in Victoria, British Colombia, Canada, is considered as a case study. For 100 mainshock and mainshock–aftershock earthquake records, incremental dynamic analysis is performed, and the three engineering demand parameters are fitted with a probability distribution and corresponding dependence computed. Finally, with consideration of different demolition limit states, loss assessment is performed. From the results, it can be shown that when seismic vulnerability models are integrated with seismic hazard, the aftershock effects are relatively minor in terms of overall seismic loss (1–4% increase). Moreover, demolition limit state parameters, uncertainties of collapse fragility, and non‐collapse seismic demand prediction models have showed significant contribution to the loss assessment. The seismic loss curves for the reference case and for cases with the varied parameters can differ by as large as about 150%. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

考虑主余震作用的近海桥墩时变地震易损性分析

基于OpenSEES平台,以某近海刚构桥桥墩为例,选取符合场地类型的地震波,并根据地震记录构造主余震序列。运用"能力需求比"分析方法建立不同服役时间节点桥墩控制截面在不同损伤状态条件下的地震易损性曲线,研究氯离子侵蚀和主余震序列对桥墩抗震性能的影响。结果表明:同一损伤状态的超越概率随着服役时间延长和PGA增大而不断变大,且随着损伤状态等级提高,超越概率逐渐降低。轻微损伤状态下,主余震序列对桥墩易损性影响较小;中等损伤、严重破坏和完全倒塌状态下,同一服役期,考虑主余震序列作用下桥墩的超越概率相比于仅考虑主震作用明显增大。     

Seismic fragility and reliability of structures isolated by friction pendulum devices: seismic reliability‐based design (SRBD)

The paper deals with the seismic reliability of elastic structural systems equipped with friction pendulum isolators (friction pendulum system). The behavior of these systems is analyzed by employing a two‐degree‐of‐freedom model accounting for the superstructure flexibility, whereas the friction pendulum system device behavior is described by adopting a widespread model that considers the variation of the friction coefficient with the velocity. With reference to medium soil condition, the uncertainty in the seismic inputs is taken into account by considering a set of artificial records, obtained through Monte Carlo simulations within the power spectral density method, with different frequency contents and characteristics depending on the soil dynamic parameters and scaled to increasing intensity levels. The sliding friction coefficient at large velocity is also considered as random variable modeled through a uniform probability density function. Incremental dynamic analyses are developed in order to evaluate the probabilities exceeding different limit states related to both r.c. superstructure and isolation level defining the seismic fragility curves through an extensive parametric study carried out for different structural system properties. Finally, considering the seismic hazard curves related to a site near L'Aquila (Italy), the seismic reliability of the r.c. superstructure systems is evaluated, and seismic reliability‐based design abacuses are derived with the aim to define the radius in plan of the friction pendulum devices in function of the structural properties and reliability level expected. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Mainshock-aftershock state-dependent fragility curves: A case of wood-frame houses in British Columbia,Canada

During a mainshock-aftershock (MSAS) sequence, there is no time to retrofit structures that are damaged by a mainshock; therefore, aftershocks could cause additional damage. This study proposes a new approach to develop state-dependent fragility curves using real MSAS records. Specifically, structural responses before and after each event of MSAS sequences are used to obtain statistical relationships among the engineering demand parameter prior to the seismic event (pre-EDP), the intensity measure of the seismic event (IM), and the engineering demand parameter after the seismic event (post-EDP). The developed fragility curves account for damage accumulation, providing the exceeding probability of damage state (DS) given the IM of the event and the DS of the structure prior to the seismic excitation. The UBC-SAWS model, which was developed for wood-frame houses in British Columbia, Canada, is considered as a case study application. Results indicate that for the examined structural typology, state-dependent fragility curves based on residual interstorey drift ratio (pre-EDP), peak ground velocity (IM), and maximum inter-storey drift ratio (post-EDP) are the best choice to characterise the cumulative damage effect. An illustration of the developed fragility curves is provided by considering a hypothetical MSAS scenario of a M_w 9.0 Cascadia mainshock triggering a M_w 6.0 crustal event in the Leech River fault, affecting wooden houses in Victoria, Canada. The MSAS scenario increases Yellow tags (restricted access) by 12.3% and Red tags (no access) by 4.8%.     

晋冀蒙交界地区地震危险性评估及地震活动性分析

本文利用晋冀蒙交界地区1500年以来记录较完整的M_S5.0及以上历史地震烈度资料和2000年以来的地震活动资料，分别进行地震灾害危险性和地震活动性分析。首先，利用ArcGIS将历史地震烈度资料数字化，没有等震线记录的地震用烈度衰减关系计算烈度圈半径。将研究区划分成0.1°×0.1°的网格，将烈度资料分配到与之相交的每个网格，并用烈度-频度关系计算每个网格的烈度a、b值。基于地震发生遵从泊松分布的假定，估算未来50年内晋冀蒙交界区遭受某一地震烈度的超越概率。同时，计算50年超越概率10%对应的地震烈度，计算结果表明张家口蔚县、阳原和山西广灵县周边地区的地震危险性较高。最后，采用中小地震能量密度值计算方法，对2000年以来的现今地震活动进行定量分析，与历史地震烈度资料分析结果进行对比，发现中小地震活动圈定的危险区与历史地震烈度资料评估计算的概率高值区相对应，因此，这两种方法可为晋冀蒙交界地区的地震活动性和危险性评价提供参考。     

Seismic fragility assessment of low-rise stone masonry buildings

Many historic buildings in old urban centers in Eastern Canada are made of stone masonry reputed to be highly vulnerable to seismic loads.Seismic risk assessment of stone masonry buildings is therefore the first step in the risk mitigation process to provide adequate planning for retrofit and preservation of historical urban centers.This paper focuses on development of analytical displacement-based fragility curves reflecting the characteristics of existing stone masonry buildings in Eastern Canada.The old historic center of Quebec City has been selected as a typical study area.The standard fragility analysis combines the inelastic spectral displacement,a structure-dependent earthquake intensity measure,and the building damage state correlated to the induced building displacement.The proposed procedure consists of a three-step development process:(1) mechanics-based capacity model,(2) displacement-based damage model and(3) seismic demand model.The damage estimation for a uniform hazard scenario of 2% in 50 years probability of exceedance indicates that slight to moderate damage is the most probable damage experienced by these stone masonry buildings.Comparison is also made with fragility curves implicit in the seismic risk assessment tools Hazus and ELER.Hazus shows the highest probability of the occurrence of no to slight damage,whereas the highest probability of extensive and complete damage is predicted with ELER.This comparison shows the importance of the development of fragility curves specific to the generic construction characteristics in the study area and emphasizes the need for critical use of regional risk assessment tools and generated results.     

Seismic response estimation method for earthquake‐damaged RC buildings

This study proposes a procedure for identifying spectral response curves for earthquake‐damaged areas in developing countries without seismic records. An earthquake‐damaged reinforced concrete building located in Padang, Indonesia was selected to illustrate the identification of the maximum seismic response during the 2009 West Sumatra earthquake. This paper summarizes the damage incurred by the building; the majority of the damage was observed in the third story in the span direction. The damage was quantitatively evaluated using the damage index R according to the Japanese guidelines for post‐earthquake damage evaluation. The damage index was also applied to the proposed spectral response identification method. The seismic performance of the building was evaluated by a nonlinear static analysis. The analytical results reproduced a drift concentration in the third story. The R‐index decreased with an increase in the story drift, which provided an estimation of the maximum response of the building during the earthquake. The estimation was verified via an earthquake response analysis of the building using ground acceleration data, which were simulated based on acceleration records of engineering bedrock that considered site amplification. The maximum response estimated by the R‐index was consistent with the maximum response obtained from the earthquake response analysis. Therefore, the proposed method enables the construction of spectral response curves by integrating the identification results for the maximum responses in a number of earthquake‐damaged buildings despite a lack of seismic records. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Earthquake Engineering & Structural Dynamics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

基于性能的钢筋混凝土框架剪力墙结构地震易损性分析

以某典型的20层钢筋混凝土框架剪力墙结构作为研究对象,研究基于性能的RC框架剪力墙结构易损性分析方法。首先选择合适的地震动记录,以0.2g为步长进行调幅后,建立300个结构-地震动样本空间,并确定结构损伤指标和性能参数;然后应用增量动力分析方法计算结构的地震动力响应,选择基本周期加速度反应谱为地震动参数,以研究结构反应的不确定性,并深入分析地震动参数与结构地震需求参数的关系;在此基础上,建立该结构基于加速度反应谱的易损性曲线进行结构易损性分析与评估。结果表明：随着地震动强度的增大,IDA曲线由单调增加变为非单调增加,分位曲线（16%,50%和84%）可以准确地衡量结构的性能;框剪结构在地震作用下的抗震性能表现良好,随着地震强度的增长,各性能超越概率大小的增长速度是不同的。     

Seismic vulnerability estimation of the building considering seismic environment and local site condition

Introduction The estimation of damage probability distribution among different damage states of rein-forced concrete buildings is a key component of earthquake loss estimation for modern city or a group of cities. With the development of city, the reinforced concrete buildings are major compo-nent parts of modern cities. Vulnerability estimates for these kinds of buildings are of importance to those responsible for civil protection, relief, and emergency services to enable adequate contin-genc…     

考虑非结构构件损伤的钢筋混凝土框架建筑多维地震易损性分析

基于单一指标的传统地震易损性分析忽略了非结构构件损伤对建筑抗震性能的影响。首先基于多维性能极限状态理论建立了三维性能极限状态方程,并对几种特殊情况下的三维阈值曲面进行了讨论。进而以最大层间位移角作为整体结构与位移敏感型非结构构件的性能指标,以峰值楼面加速度作为加速度敏感型非结构构件的性能指标,对建筑的结构损伤和非结构损伤进行描述。考虑各性能指标之间的相关性和各性能指标所对应的极限状态阈值的不确定性,建立了建筑在地震作用下的三维性能极限状态的超越概率函数。最后,采用Open Sees有限元软件对一7层钢筋混凝土框架填充墙建筑进行增量动力分析,得到其各性能水平下的地震易损性曲线。分析结果表明,当忽略非结构构件损伤时,各性能极限状态的超越概率均降低,从而高估了建筑剩余功能水平,进而导致低估建筑的损失。在考虑各性能指标的极限状态阈值的不确定性时,对任一性能极限状态,不同变异系数取值下的易损性曲线会出现交点,在交点之前超越概率随着变异系数的增大而增大,交点之后则随着变异系数的增大而减小。在考虑性能指标间的相关性时,对任一性能极限状态,超越概率随着相关系数的减小而增大。另外,性能指标阈值的不确定性与性能指标间的相关性对地震易损性的影响随着性能水平的提高而逐渐降低,且对低性能水平下建筑地震易损性有明显影响。     

Direct loss model for seismically damaged structures

Loss ratio, which is the ratio of the repair cost to the total replacement cost, is an effective parameter for representing structural and nonstructural damage caused by earthquakes. A probabilistic loss estimation framework is first presented that directly relates hazard to response and hence to losses. A key feature of the loss estimation approach is the determination of losses without need for customary fragility curves. Relationships between intensity measures and engineering demand parameters are used to define the demand model. An empirically calibrated loss model in the form of a power curve with upper and lower cut‐offs is used in conjunction with the demand model to estimate loss ratios. Loss ratios for each of the damage states take into account epistemic uncertainty and an effect on price surge following a major hazardous event. The loss model is calibrated and validated for bridges designed based on the prevailing Caltrans, Japan, and New Zealand standards. The loss model is then transformed to provide a composite seismic hazard–loss relationship that is used to estimate the expected annual loss for structures. The closed‐form four‐step stochastic loss estimation model is applied to the bridges designed for ductility. Results of these ductile designs are compared to a bridge detailed to an emerging damage avoidance design philosophy. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Risk assessment of an interacting structure–soil system due to liquefaction

The present study deals with the non‐linear stochastic dynamic analysis of a soil–structure interacting system. The ultimate objective is to determine the risk of damage to the system due to liquefaction under a wide range of earthquake intensities. A Monte Carlo simulation approach is followed in conjunction with advanced finite element procedures. The stochastic spatial variability of soil properties and the randomness of the seismic excitation are taken into account in order to estimate the statistics of the response, measured in terms of uniform foundation settlement and tilting. Specifically, soil properties are modelled as non‐Gaussian random fields and seismic excitations as non‐stationary random processes. The probabilistic characteristics of the stochastic field modelling soil properties are established from in situ tests. The risk of damage to the soil–structure system due to liquefaction is assessed by establishing fragility curves, which are of paramount importance for risk assessment and management studies of such systems. Fragility curves express the probability of exceeding various thresholds in the response. The relative effect of the variability of various soil parameters on the variability of the response is also examined. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Prediction of spatially distributed seismic demands in specific structures: Structural response to loss estimation

A companion paper has investigated the effects of intensity measure (IM) selection in the prediction of spatially distributed response in a multi‐degree‐of‐freedom structure. This paper extends from structural response prediction to performance assessment metrics such as probability of structural collapse; probability of exceeding a specified level of demand or direct repair cost; and the distribution of direct repair loss for a given level of ground motion. In addition, a method is proposed to account for the effect of varying seismological properties of ground motions on seismic demand that does not require different ground motion records to be used for each intensity level. Results illustrate that the conventional IM, spectral displacement at the first mode, S_de(T₁), produces higher risk estimates than alternative velocity‐based IM's, namely spectrum intensity, SI, and peak ground velocity, PGV, because of its high uncertainty in ground motion prediction and poor efficiency in predicting peak acceleration demands. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Using experimental data to reduce the single-building sigma of fragility curves: case study of the BRD tower in Bucharest, Romania

The lack of knowledge concerning modelling existing buildings leads to significant variability in fragility curves for single or grouped existing buildings. This study aims to investigate the uncertainties of fragility curves, with special consideration of the single-building sigma. Experimental data and simplified models are applied to the BRD tower in Bucharest, Romania, a RC building with permanent instrumentation. A three-step methodology is applied： （1） adjustment of a linear MDOF model for experimental modal analysis using a Timoshenko beam model and based on Anderson＇s criteria, （2） computation of the structure＇s response to a large set of accelerograms simulated by SIMQKE software, considering twelve ground motion parameters as intensity measurements （IM）, and （3） construction of the fragility curves by comparing numerical interstory drift with the threshold criteria provided by the Hazus methodology for the slight damage state. By introducing experimental data into the model, uncertainty is reduced to 0.02 considering Sd ） as seismic intensity IM and uncertainty related to the model is assessed at 0.03. These values must be compared with the total uncertainty value of around 0.7 provided by the Hazus methodology.     

Conditional spectrum‐based ground motion record selection using average spectral acceleration

The use of a seismic intensity measure (IM) is paramount in decoupling seismic hazard and structural response estimation when assessing the performance of structures. For this to be valid, the IM needs to be sufficient;that is, the engineering demand parameter (EDP) response should be independent of other ground motion characteristics when conditioned on the IM. Whenever non‐trivial dependence is found, such as in the case of the IM being the first‐mode spectral acceleration, ground motion selection must be employed to generate sets of ground motion records that are consistent vis‐à‐vis the hazard conditioned on the IM. Conditional spectrum record selection is such a method for choosing records that are consistent with the site‐dependent spectral shape conditioned on the first‐mode spectral acceleration. Based on a single structural period, however the result may be suboptimal, or insufficient, for EDPs influenced by different period values, for example, peak interstory drifts or peak floor accelerations at different floors, potentially requiring different record suites for each. Recently, the log‐average spectral acceleration over a period range, AvgSA, has emerged as an improved scalar IM for building response estimation whose hazard can be evaluated using existing ground motion prediction equations. Herein, we present a recasting of conditional spectrum record selection that is based on AvgSA over a period range as the conditioning IM. This procedure ensures increased efficiency and sufficiency in simultaneously estimating multiple EDPs by means of a single IM. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Seismic fragility assessment on the post-mainshock damaged shield building considering aftershock duration and damage ratio

In general, historical earthquake events have shown that a strong mainshock might trigger several aftershocks, which can cause additional damage and seismic risk to the structures. This work tries to investigate the aftershock duration on seismic fragility of the shield building in consideration of initial damage. For this purpose, a three-dimensional finite element model of shield building is established using a concrete damage plastic model. A series of mainshock-aftershock sequences with different durations are selected and scaled to match the target spectrum. A damage ratio of tensile damage is developed to evaluate the additional damage caused by mainshock and aftershocks. Aftershocks with three durations, namely, 20 s, 40 s, and 60 s, are used to study the effect of initial damage levels and aftershock durations on the accumulative damage and seismic fragility of the shield building. The results indicate that those aftershocks with longer durations may wreak more worse cumulative damage to the post-mainshock damaged structure and significantly affect the probability of exceedance. It is also indicated that the initial damage levels have a significant impact on the fragility curves of the shield building. This work can directly incorporate the influence of mainshock-damaged states into the fragility assessment for Nuclear Power Plant.

     

Processing Italian damage data to derive typological fragility curves

Typological fragility curves have been derived from post-earthquake survey data on building damage, collected in the areas affected by the most relevant Italian earthquakes of the last three decades. A complex and time consuming codification and reinterpretation work has been done on a set of about 150,000 survey building records, in order to define empirical damage probability matrices for several building typologies, characteristic of the Italian building stock. The obtained data have then been processed by advanced nonlinear regression methods in order to derive typological fragility curves. These curves, organised in five damage levels, provide useful information both for relative comparisons among typologies and for seismic risk analyses at different scales. By combining hazard definitions, fragility curves and inventory data, complete earthquake risk scenario studies can be performed, but even the single convolution of hazard and fragility allows to obtain typological risk maps, both for single damage state definitions and for concise average loss parameters. The very high potential of these results is shown by some applications reported in the paper.