Vulnerability of existing buildings: empirical evaluation and experimental measurements

The aim of this study is the comparison between the fundamental periods identified experimentally and those calculated using the formulas given in the Algerian Seismic Code (RPA 99) for vulnerability assessment and for experimental data collection of selected sample of old buildings. The results obtained for vulnerability assessment will then be extrapolated to buildings of the same typology built during the 1949 to 1954 period in the northern part of Algeria. From 1949 to 1954, the reinforced concrete constructions in Algeria were built before the first generation of the Algerian Seismic Code. These buildings being old are certainly weakened by the occupancy activities and seismic event loads. Hence, the evaluation of their vulnerability with respect to the regional seismic hazard requires the knowledge of their structure on a site capacity. The empirical formulas to calculate the fundamental period of a building are based on the Algerian Earthquake Code (RPA 99) .These formulas consider only the geometrical dimension (length, width and height) and the structural design of the buildings. The fundamental periods of vibration of twenty-two buildings, located in Algiers, calculated using the empirical formulas given in the RPA 99 are lower than those identified experimentally. A question then rises, do these tested buildings present any damage or not? As five of these buildings were tested before the 21 May 2003 earthquake, the experimental testing highlighted a decrease in the fundamental frequency which means that these buildings are damaged. Hence, for vulnerability assessment, the empirical formulas given in the Algerian Seismic Code (RPA 99) may not be appropriate for vulnerability assessment of the old buildings built during the 1949 to 1954 period.     

A new hybrid procedure for the definition of seismic vulnerability in Mediterranean cross-border urban areas

Assessment of seismic vulnerability of urban areas provides fundamental information for activities of planning and management of emergencies. The main difficulty encountered when extending vulnerability evaluations to urban contexts is the definition of a framework of assessment appropriate for the specific characteristics of the site and providing reliable results with a reasonable duration of surveys and post-processing of data. The paper proposes a new procedure merging different typologies of information recognized on the territories investigated and for this reason called “hybrid.” Knowledge of historical events influencing urban evolution and analysis of recurrent building technologies are used to evaluate the vulnerability indexes of buildings and building stocks. On the other hand, a vulnerability model is calibrated by means of experimental and numerical investigations on prototype buildings representative of the most recurrent typologies. In the final framework, the vulnerability index, calculated through simplified assessment forms, is linked to the seismic intensity expressed by the peak ground acceleration and associated with an index of damage expressing the economical loss. The procedure has been tested on the urban center of Lampedusa island (Italy) providing as the output vulnerability index maps, vulnerability curves, critical PGA maps, and estimation of the economical damage associated with different earthquake scenarios. The application of the procedure can be suitably repeated for medium-to-small urban areas, typically recurring in the Mediterranean by carrying out each time a recalibration of the vulnerability model.

     

A new hybrid procedure for the definition of seismic vulnerability in Mediterranean cross-border urban areas

Assessment of seismic vulnerability of urban areas provides fundamental information for activities of planning and management of emergencies. The main difficulty encountered when extending vulnerability evaluations to urban contexts is the definition of a framework of assessment appropriate for the specific characteristics of the site and providing reliable results with a reasonable duration of surveys and post-processing of data. The paper proposes a new procedure merging different typologies of information recognized on the territories investigated and for this reason called “hybrid.” Knowledge of historical events influencing urban evolution and analysis of recurrent building technologies are used to evaluate the vulnerability indexes of buildings and building stocks. On the other hand, a vulnerability model is calibrated by means of experimental and numerical investigations on prototype buildings representative of the most recurrent typologies. In the final framework, the vulnerability index, calculated through simplified assessment forms, is linked to the seismic intensity expressed by the peak ground acceleration and associated with an index of damage expressing the economical loss. The procedure has been tested on the urban center of Lampedusa island (Italy) providing as the output vulnerability index maps, vulnerability curves, critical PGA maps, and estimation of the economical damage associated with different earthquake scenarios. The application of the procedure can be suitably repeated for medium-to-small urban areas, typically recurring in the Mediterranean by carrying out each time a recalibration of the vulnerability model.     

Seismic risk assessment of buildings in urban areas: a case study for Denizli,Turkey

This study aims to carry out a seismic risk assessment for a typical mid-size city based on building inventory from a field study. Contributions were made to existing loss estimation methods for buildings. In particular, a procedure was introduced to estimate the seismic quality of buildings using a scoring scheme for the effective parameters in seismic behavior. Denizli, a typical mid-size city in Turkey, was used as a case study. The building inventory was conducted by trained observers in a selected region of Denizli that had the potential to be damaged from expected future earthquakes according to geological and geotechnical studies. Parameters that are known to have some effect on the seismic performance of the buildings during past earthquakes were collected during the inventory studies. The inventory includes data of about 3,466 buildings on 4,226 parcels. The evaluation of inventory data provided information about the distribution of building stock according to structural system, construction year, and vertical and plan irregularities. The inventory data and the proposed procedure were used to assess the building damage, and to determine casualty and shelter needs during the M6.3 and 7.0 scenario earthquakes, representing the most probable and maximum earthquakes in Denizli, respectively. The damage assessment and loss studies showed that significant casualties and economic losses can be expected in future earthquakes. Seismic risk assessment of reinforced concrete buildings also revealed the priorities among building groups. The vulnerability in decreasing order is: (1) buildings with 6 or more stories, (2) pre-1975 constructed buildings, and (3) buildings with 3–5 stories. The future studies for evaluating and reducing seismic risk for buildings should follow this priority order. All data of inventory, damage, and loss estimates were assembled in a Geographical Information System (GIS) database.     

Seismic risk in the city of Al Hoceima (north of Morocco) using the vulnerability index method,applied in Risk-UE project

Al Hoceima is one of the most seismic active regions in north of Morocco. It is demonstrated by the large seismic episodes reported in seismic catalogs and research studies. However, seismic risk is relatively high due to vulnerable buildings that are either old or don’t respect seismic standards. Our aim is to present a study about seismic risk and seismic scenarios for the city of Al Hoceima. The seismic vulnerability of the existing residential buildings was evaluated using the vulnerability index method (Risk-UE). It was chosen to be adapted and applied to the Moroccan constructions for its practicality and simple methodology. A visual inspection of 1102 buildings was carried out to assess the vulnerability factors. As for seismic hazard, it was evaluated in terms of macroseismic intensity for two scenarios (a deterministic and probabilistic scenario). The maps of seismic risk are represented by direct damage on buildings, damage to population and economic cost. According to the results, the main vulnerability index of the city is equal to 0.49 and the seismic risk is estimated as Slight (main damage grade equal to 0.9 for the deterministic scenario and 0.7 for the probabilistic scenario). However, Moderate to heavy damage is expected in areas located in the newer extensions, in both the east and west of the city. Important economic losses and damage to the population are expected in these areas as well. The maps elaborated can be a potential guide to the decision making in the field of seismic risk prevention and mitigation strategies in Al Hoceima.     

Estimating the vulnerability and loss functions of residential buildings

This paper is concerned with an investigation of the damage to residential buildings in two areas within Gilan and Zanjan provinces, Iran, caused by the Manjil-Rudbar earthquake of 20 June 1990. A statistical correlation between the observed ground motion and the damage to the residential buildings is derived for overall damaged buildings and expressed as the vulnerability function. The loss function is calculated by combining the seismic hazard with the vulnerability function.The study of vulnerability and annual seismic hazard shows that the specific annual risk for the range of motion of 0.18 to 0.5 g is equal to 0.02. This indicates that the specific risk for semi-engineered residential buildings with a lifetime of 20 years is about 33%. This study also shows that in large cities, such as Tehran, located in seismic areas, the extent of damage according to the vulnerability function will be 45 and 70% for expected maximum accelerations of 0.3 and 0.4 g, respectively.     

Development of medium- and low-rise reinforced concrete building fragility curves based on Chi-Chi Earthquake data

In this paper, a grid-based cluster division procedure, in combination with a novel maximum likelihood estimate based on multinomial distribution, is proposed to derive fragility curves for medium- and low-rise reinforced concrete (RC) buildings in Taiwan. This new grid-based method generates higher-quality vulnerability data for reducing the dispersion of datasets than does the district-based method. The medium- and low-rise RC buildings are classified into six typologies according to both the number of floors and the design code, based on the complete building damage records collected after the 1999 Chi-Chi Earthquake in Taiwan. The results of the grid-based method show that the fragility curves are more stable and convergent than those from the district-based method. The numerical results demonstrate that the proposed method can reasonably be implemented for fragility analysis and can be used for assessing seismic risk in the future.     

Vulnerability evaluation of the strategic buildings in Algiers (Algeria): a methodology

Algeria is a country with a high seismic activity. During the last decade, many destructive earthquakes occurred, particularly in the northern part, causing enormous losses in human lives, buildings, and equipments. In order to reduce this risk in the capital and avoid serious damages to the strategic existing buildings, the government decided to invest in seismic upgrade, strengthening, and retrofitting of these buildings. To do so, seismic vulnerability study of this category of buildings has been considered. Structural analysis is performed based on a site investigation (inspection of the building, collecting data, materials characteristics, general conditions of the building, etc.) and existing drawings (architectural plans, structural design, etc.). The aim of these seismic vulnerability studies is to develop guidelines and a methodology for rehabilitation of existing buildings. This paper presents the methodology followed in our study and summarizes the vulnerability assessment and strengthening of one of the strategic buildings according to the new Algerian Seismic Design Code RPA 99/version 2003. As a direct application of this methodology, both static equivalent method and nonlinear dynamic analysis are performed and presented in this paper.     

Experimental vulnerability curves for the residential buildings of Iran

Iran is one of the most seismically active countries of the world located on the Alpine-Himalayan earthquake belt. More than 180,000 people were killed due to earthquakes in Iran during the last five decades. Considering the fact that most Iranians live in masonry and non-engineered houses, having a comprehensive program for decreasing the vulnerability of society holds considerable importance. For this reason, loss estimation should be done before an earthquake strikes to prepare proper information for designing and selection of emergency plans and the retrofitting strategies prior to occurrence of earthquake. The loss estimation process consists of two principal steps of hazard analysis and vulnerability assessment. After identifying the earthquake hazard, the first step is to evaluate the vulnerability of residential buildings and lifelines and also the social and economic impacts of the earthquake scenarios. Among these, residential buildings have specific importance, because their destruction will disturb the daily life and result in casualties. Consequently, the vulnerability assessment of the buildings in Iran is important to identify the weak points in the built environment structure. The aim of this research is to prepare vulnerability curves for the residential buildings of Iran to provide a proper base for estimating probable damage features by future earthquakes. The estimation may contribute fundamentally for better seismic performance of Iranian societies. After a brief review of the vulnerability assessment methods in Iran and other countries, through the use of the European Macroseismic method, a model for evaluating the vulnerability of the Iranian buildings is proposed. This method allows the vulnerability assessment for numerous sets of buildings by defining the vulnerability curves for each building type based on the damage observations of previous earthquakes. For defining the vulnerability curves, a building typology classification is presented in this article, which is representative of Iranian building characteristics. The hazard is described in terms of the macroseismic intensity and the EMS-98 damage grades have been considered for classifying the physical damage to the buildings. The calculated vulnerability indexes and vulnerability curves show that for engineered houses there is not any notable difference between the vulnerability of Iranian and Risk-UE building types. For the non-engineered houses, the vulnerability index of brick and steel structures is less than the corresponding values of the other unreinforced masonry buildings of Iran. The vulnerability index of unreinforced and masonry buildings of Iran are larger than the values of the similar types in Risk-UE and so the Iranian buildings are more vulnerable in this regard.     

Seismic risk assessment of buildings in Izmir,Turkey

Izmir, the third largest city and a major economic center in Turkey, has more than three million residents and half million buildings. In this study, the seismic risk in reinforced concrete buildings that dominate the building inventory in Izmir is investigated through multiple approaches. Five typical reinforced concrete buildings were designed, modeled and assessed for seismic vulnerability. The sample structures represent typical existing reinforced concrete hospital, school, public, and residential buildings in Izmir. The seismic assessments of the considered structures indicate that they are vulnerable to damage during expected future earthquakes.     

Robustness of the holistic seismic risk evaluation in urban centers using the USRi

The Urban Seismic Risk index (USRi) published in a previous article (Carreño et al., Nat Hazards 40:137–172, 2007) is a composite indicator that measures risk from an integrated perspective and guides decision-making for identifying the main interdisciplinary factors of vulnerability to be reduced or intervened. The first step of the method is the evaluation of the potential physical damage (hard approach) as a result of the convolution of the seismic hazard with the physical vulnerability of buildings and infrastructure. Subsequently, a set of social context conditions that aggravate the physical effects is also considered (soft approach). According to this procedure, the physical risk index is evaluated for each unit of analysis from existing loss scenarios, whereas the total risk index is obtained by multiplying the former index by an impact factor using an aggravating coefficient, based on variables associated with the socio-economic conditions of each unit of analysis. The USRi has been developed using the underlying holistic and multi-hazard approach of the Urban Risk Index framework proposed for the evaluation of disaster risk in different megacities worldwide. This article presents the sensitivity analysis of the index to different parameters such as input data, weights and transformation functions used for the scaling or normalization of variables. This analysis has been performed using the Monte Carlo simulation to validate the robustness of this composite indicator, understanding as robustness how the cities maintain the ranking as well as predefined risk level ranges, when compared with the deterministic results of risk. Results are shown for different cities of the world.     

A methodology to estimate seismic vulnerability of health facilities. Case study: Mexico City,Mexico

We developed a model to estimate seismic vulnerability of health facilities in Mexico City, Mexico, following these steps: (1) designing a theoretical framework (TF) to measure structural, non-structural, functional, and administrative-organizational vulnerabilities; (2) measurement of the vulnerability conditions of the analyzed facility by using the TF; and (3) estimation of the hospital’s seismic vulnerability by comparing the measured vulnerability to the TF’s vulnerability indicators by taking into account the optimal case. The TF was developed considering a scoring system and international standards for risk management in hospitals. The methodology establishes the degree of vulnerability of the analyzed institution as well as its interrelations with external infrastructure systems. This tool also identifies existing failures to estimate expected damage. The methodology was applied to the National Cardiology Hospital, the Children’s Hospital “Dr. Federico Gómez,” and the “Hospital de Jesus” of Mexico City. The vulnerability problems in these three hospitals are common within them, and some of the main causes of vulnerability found are: (1) the lack of technology to resistant seismic shaking; (2) the need to develop or update disaster response plans; (3) the need of periodic and proper maintenance to hospitals’ buildings; (4) the lack of sufficient financial resources for vulnerability reduction projects and autonomous operations of the hospital during 3–5 days after a disaster occurs. We believe that vulnerability in these health facilities can be reduced with low-cost procedures and that the methodology developed here will support the decision-making processes to reduce seismic risk in Mexico City.     

Empirical seismic vulnerability,deterministic risk and monetary loss assessment in Fira (Santorini,Greece)

A deterministic seismic risk and monetary loss model is presented for the capital of Santorini volcanic Island, the town of Fira, on a building block scale. A local seismic source of M5.6 inferred from a recent volcano unrest in 2011–2012, detailed seismic vulnerability of 435 buildings and site conditions deduced from free-field ambient noise measurements were combined toward assessing the EMS-98 damage grade and its probability to occur. The seismic scenario yielded no damage or slight damage for 84% of the buildings, 16% of the constructions are expected to present moderate-to-heavy damage, while the economic loss amounts to 4 million euros. Although the model predicts low damage and direct economic loss, interaction with the touristic business activities might produce cascade side effects for the economy of the island and consequently Greece’s GDP, an important part of which emanates from Santorini.     

The historic and artistic heritage facing the earthquake risk: The Italian case

The problem of protection against earthquakes in Italy is made difficult by the presence of a huge historic and artistic heritage. Such a heritage is mainly made up of ancient buildings and monuments situated in the urban centres, which are densely distributed throughout Italy. Therefore, very complex problems are met in the determination of the value parameter concurring with the determination of seismic risk, in addition to hazard and vulnerability. An indication of the monetary value of a building is not sufficient as far as the cultural heritage is concerned: different criteria are necessary in order to distinguish which are the strategic buildings. If we consider that there are more than 2000 museums in Italy, most of which are placed inside historic buildings, it appears that museums should receive the highest priority in future initiatives for seismic rehabilitation.     

Vulnerability assessment of reinforced concrete buildings subjected to seismically triggered slow-moving earth slides

The objective of this paper is to develop an efficient analytical method for assessing the vulnerability of low-rise reinforced concrete buildings subjected to seismically induced slow-moving earth slides. Vulnerability is defined in terms of probabilistic fragility curves, which describe the probability of exceeding a certain limit state of the building, on a given slope, versus the Peak Horizontal Ground Acceleration (PHGA) at the assumed “seismic bedrock”, allowing for the quantification of various sources of uncertainty. The proposed method is based on a two-step, uncoupled approach. In the first step, the differential permanent landslide displacements at the building’s foundation level are estimated using a dynamic non-linear finite difference slope model. In the second step, the calculated differential permanent displacements are statically imposed at the foundation level to assess the building’s response to differing permanent seismic ground displacements using a finite element code. Structural limit states are defined in terms of threshold values of strains for the reinforced concrete structural components. The method is applied to typical low-rise reinforced concrete frame buildings on shallow foundations with varying strength and stiffness characteristics (isolated footings and continuous slab foundation), standing near the crest of a relatively slow-moving earth slide. Two different slope models are selected representing a cohesive and a purely frictional soil material. The paper describes the method and the derived fragility curves for the selected building and slope typologies that could be used in quantitative risk assessment studies at site-specific and local scales.     

Seismic risk analysis of urban non-engineered buildings: application to an informal settlement in Mérida,Venezuela

Seismic risk scenarios are obtained for an informal settlement in Mérida (Venezuela), which is representative of an important number of urban areas in earthquake-prone regions of the developing world. The vulnerability indices of the buildings range between 0.64 and 0.80 on a scale of 0 to 1. In an intensity IX earthquake scenario, more than 32% of the buildings would suffer damage of grade 4 (extensive) or greater. A structural analysis of the buildings in the study area shows that they are unsafe for gravity loads, and that the seismic demands exceed the strength of the constructions. Simple and comparatively inexpensive measures can improve the seismic performance of these buildings; the vulnerability can be reduced by about 51%. In an intensity IX earthquake scenario, the expected economic loss before retrofitting the buildings is US5.36 million, with 275 fatalities; once retrofit has been carried out, the resulting figures are US5.36 million, with 275 fatalities; once retrofit has been carried out, the resulting figures are US0.39 million and 10 fatalities. Retrofit would cost US1.04 million, whereas reconstruction would cost US1.04 million, whereas reconstruction would cost US19 million.     

Reliability analysis of slope stability under seismic condition during a given exposure time

Evaluating the failure probability of a slope under the seismic condition during a given exposure time is important for performance-based assessment of slope stability. In this paper, a two-stage method is suggested to study the seismic stability of a slope during a given exposure time. In the first stage, the exceedance probability of the horizontal pseudo-static acceleration is evaluated. In the second stage, the vulnerability curve of the slope, which shows the relationship between the horizontal pseudo-static acceleration and the failure probability of the slope, is established. The failure probability of the slope during a given exposure time is then assessed by combining the exceedance probability curve of the horizontal pseudo-static acceleration and the vulnerability curve of the slope. Examples investigated show that the reliability of a slope under the seismic condition is controlled by multiple slip surfaces. A slope may have different failure probabilities during the same exposure time when it is at different locations because of different levels of ground shaking. Event at the same site, different slopes may have different failure probability because of the difference in factors like slope geometries and geological conditions. The method suggested in this paper can be used to quantify the effect of the above factors on the reliability of a slope.     

泥石流作用下建筑物易损性评价方法分析与评价

建筑物易损度评价作为泥石流易损度评价的重要组成部分,其研究是实现城镇及居民点泥石流风险定量化和风险管理的必要环节。综述近30年来,泥石流作用下建筑物易损度研究的发展过程,并指出以统计分析方法建立的建筑物易损度曲线普适性差且力学机理不明等问题,提出数值计算和模型实验的手段获取建筑物结构易损度的机理模型。由于建筑物易损度研究问题本身的复杂性,统计分析方法仍将作为建筑物易损度研究的重要手段,力学机理明晰的研究方法则将成为今后研究的难点和热点。此外,地震、滚石、雪崩等类似灾种的易损度研究方法和成果可被借鉴到泥石流领域。针对灾害中因结构破坏引发人员伤亡的情况,建议采用时间概率和基于条件概率的事件树方法计算建筑物内人员易损度。最终形成综合结构和人员易损度研究成果的建筑物易损度评价方法。     

Potential of High-Resolution Satellite Data in the Context of Vulnerability of Buildings

High-resolution space-borne remote sensing data are investigated for their potential to extract relevant parameters for a vulnerability analysis of buildings in European countries. For an evaluation of large earthquake scenarios, the number of parameters in models for vulnerability is reduced to a minimum of relevant information such as the type of building (age, material, number of storeys) and the geological and spatial context. Building-related parameters can be derived from remote sensing data either directly (e.g. height) or indirectly based on the recognition of the urban structure type in which the buildings are located. With the potential of a fully- or semi-automatic inventory of the buildings and their parameters, high-resolution satellite data and techniques for their processing are a useful supporting tool for the assessment of vulnerability.