Feasibility of pre-earthquake strengthening of buildings based on cost-benefit and life-cycle cost analysis, with the aid of fragility curves

There are two fundamental questions this article aims to deal with. First, whether a pre-earthquake strengthening of a large and heterogeneous building stock (the emphasis here is on building types common in S. Europe), is economically feasible or not, and second what is the optimal retrofit level for mitigating the seismic risk. To this purpose contemporary decision making tools, namely cost-benefit and life-cycle cost analyses, are tailored to the needs of the present study, and implemented with the aid of an ad-hoc developed new software application (COBE06). A method for estimating the reduction in structural vulnerability due to retrofit is proposed, as well as a methodology to determine the optimum retrofit level using the fragility curve approach. Finally, the proposed methodology is used in a pilot application that concerns the city of Thessaloniki, and results are drawn for the feasibility of strengthening the reinforced concrete building stock in this city.     

基于高分辨率影像城市建筑物研究

建筑物是城市的重要组成部分,近年来城市化进程不断加快,城市人口与城市建筑物日益增多,及时获取建筑物的空间分布以及建筑覆盖率、建筑容积率等相关指标,有利于城市居住环境状况进行科学评价,促进土地利用优化配置,还可为交通与通讯等科学规划提供参考.随着高分辨率影像应用的日益推广以及信息提取技术的不断提高,利用高分辨率卫星影像提取城市建筑物及建筑覆盖率、建筑容积率等指标与传统手段相比具有快速、高效等特点,得到广泛应用并取得丰硕成果.本文在前人研究的基础上,对基于高分辨率城市建筑物提取及相关研究的理论基础、存在问题、发展趋势进行了深入分析,对于高分辨率影像城市建筑物研究系统化、促进城市遥感的深化具有重要意义.     

建筑物沉降监测专家分析系统设计与开发

建筑物沉降监测数据分析与处理是一项较复杂的系统工程,本文从自动化处理观点出发,介绍了设计沉降监测专家分析系统的咨询新理念和主体思想,探讨了开发选用的数学模型与开发过程,以期为相关变形监测与分析提供帮助和启示.     

密集建筑群中的深基坑施工技术

以沈阳市某深基坑支护及降水工程在密集建筑群中施工为例，介绍了该支护工程的设计与施工，阐述了该工程变形监测方法并对其结果进行了分析，总结了在沈阳地区密集建筑群中进行基坑开挖的设计与施工经验。     

Comparative Seismic Risk Studies for German Earthquake Regions on the Basis of the European Macroseismic Scale EMS-98

Within the framework of recent research projects, basic tools for GIS-based seismic risk assessment technologies were developed and applied to the building stock and regional particularities of German earthquake regions. Two study areas are investigated, being comparable by the level of seismic hazard and the hazard-consistent scenario events (related to mean return periods of 475, 2475 and 10000 years). Significant differences exist with respect to the number of inhabitants, the grade and extent of urbanisation, the quality and quantity of building inventory: the case study of Schmölln in Eastern Thuringia seems to be representative for the majority of smaller towns in Germany, the case study of Cologne (Köln) stands for larger cities. Due to the similarities of hazard and scenario intensities, the considerable differences do not only require proper decisions concerning the appropriate methods and acceptable efforts, they enable conclusions about future research strategies and needs for disaster reduction management. Not least important, results can sharpen the focus of public interest. Seismic risk maps are prepared for different scenario intensities recognising the scatter and uncertainties of site-dependent ground motion and also of the applied vulnerability functions. The paper illustrates the impact of model assumptions and the step-wise refinements of input variables like site conditions, building stock or vulnerability functions on the distribution of expected building damage within the study areas. Furthermore, and in contrast to common research strategies, results support the conclusion that in the case of stronger earthquakes the damage will be of higher concentration within smaller cities like Schmölln due to the site-amplification potential and/or the increased vulnerability of the building stock. The extent of damage will be pronounced by the large number of masonry buildings for which lower vulnerability classes have to be assigned. Due to the effect of deep sedimentary layers and the composition of building types, the urban centre of Cologne will be less affected by an earthquake of comparable intensity.     

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.     

Centrifuge modelling-based verification of response spectra design methods for some vulnerable structures

Residential RC framed structures suffered heavily during the 2001 Bhuj earthquake in Gujarat, India. These types of structures also saw severe damage in other earthquakes such as the 1999 Kocaeli earthquake in Turkey and 921 Ji-Ji earthquake in Taiwan. In this paper the seismic response of residential structures was investigated using physical modelling. Idealised soft storey and top heavy, two degrees of freedom (2DOF) portal frame structures were developed and tested on saturated and dry sand models at 25 g using the Schofield Centre 10-m Beam Centrifuge. It was possible to recreate observed field behaviour using these models. As observed in many of the recent earthquakes, soft storey structures were found to be particularly vulnerable to seismic loads. Elastic response spectra methods are often used in the design of simple portal frame structures. The seismic risk of these structures can be significantly increased due to modifications such as removal of a column or addition of heavy water tanks on the roof. The experimental data from the dynamic centrifuge tests on such soft storey or top-heavy models was used to evaluate the predictions obtained from the response spectra. Response spectra were able to predict seismic response during small to moderate intensity earthquakes, but became inaccurate during strong earthquakes and when soil structure interaction effects became important. Re-evaluation of seismic risk of such modified structures is required and time domain analyses suggested by building codes such as IBC, UBC or NEHRP may be more appropriate.     

Approximate analysis methods for asymmetric plan base‐isolated buildings

An approximate method for linear analysis of asymmetric‐plan, multistorey buildings is specialized for a single‐storey, base‐isolated structure. To find the mode shapes of the torsionally coupled system, the Rayleigh–Ritz procedure is applied using the torsionally uncoupled modes as Ritz vectors. This approach reduces to analysis of two single‐storey systems, each with vibration properties and eccentricities (labelled ‘effective eccentricities’) similar to corresponding properties of the isolation system or the fixed‐base structure. With certain assumptions, the vibration properties of the coupled system can be expressed explicitly in terms of these single‐storey system properties. Three different methods are developed: the first is a direct application of the Rayleigh–Ritz procedure; the second and third use simplifications for the effective eccentricities, assuming a relatively stiff superstructure. The accuracy of these proposed methods and the rigid structure method in determining responses are assessed for a range of system parameters including eccentricity and structure flexibility. For a subset of systems with equal isolation and structural eccentricities, two of the methods are exact and the third is sufficiently accurate; all three are preferred to the rigid structure method. For systems with zero isolation eccentricity, however, all approximate methods considered are inconsistent and should be applied with caution, only to systems with small structural eccentricities or stiff structures. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

国际地磁学与高空物理学协会和国际地震学与地球内部物理学协会联合科学大会及地震电磁研究进展

简要介绍了 2 0 0 1年 8月 1 9～ 3 1日在越南河内召开的国际地磁学与高空物理学协会 ( IAGA)和国际地震学与地球内部物理学协会 ( IASPEI)联合科学大会以及地震电磁研究进展 ,表明地震电磁前兆在地震预测研究中具有一定的实际效果与良好的研究前景。我们建议在不久的将来能在北京举办 IAGA,IASPEI和 IUGG(国际大地测量学与地球物理学联合会 )大会。这将促进我国的科技进步 ,有助于加强我国在国际科学界的地位与影响。     

拓展国际合作的视野--出席第23届IUGG大会有感

第23届IUGG大会一个突出的特点就是学科间的交叉和融合，充分反映了新世纪地球科学以实现全球变化的预测为目标，进行多学科综合研究的发展趋势。文章从IUGG内部跨学科的合作研究，IUGG与国际科联(ICSU)各专业委员会之间的合作交流，以及IUGG与政府间组织和其他国际机构的合作三个层面，简要介绍了IUGG在全球范围内开展国际合作研究的概况。在此基础上，结合我国的实际，就拓展国际合作领域，提高我国地球科学研究水平，扩大我国的国际影响等提出了相应的建议。