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.     

夏、冬两季长江口及邻近海域悬浮物的分布特征及其沉积量

利用2001年7～8月 ,2002年1月两个航次的悬浮物浓度资料 ,并参考其它水文参数 ,简要分析长江口及邻近海域悬浮物的分布特征 :无论夏季还是冬季 ,长江入海悬浮物总是向东南方输运 ;冬季由于再悬浮作用显著 ,悬浮物浓度明显高于夏季 ,且南北分布范围也明显增大 ,垂向分布均匀。同时采用数值模拟的海流流速值和观测的悬浮物浓度值计算悬浮物的断面通量 ,并最终得计算区悬浮物夏、冬两季的沉积量 ,夏、冬季长江口及邻近海域悬浮物的沉积量分别为0.79×108t,1.44×108t。     

中国南极长城湾及附近海区1993/1994年夏季表层水样无机氮、磷酸盐的浓度及其分布状况

1993／1994年南极夏季对中国南极长城湾及附近海区表层海水四种营养盐浓度及其分布状况作了调查。结果表明，NH4－N、NO3－N、NO2－N及PO4－P的大致浓度分别是2．13、7．07、0．74和1．12μg·dm-3。一般来说，湾内高于湾外氮盐于12月份常出现高值。四种形态的无机盐类之最高、最低浓度出现的时间和站位不尽一致。∑N／P递减次序大致是12月，2月，1月。水温变化与NH4－N、PO4－P浓度和∑N／P的变化常较一致，而与NO2－N则常不一，一些站位上营养盐浓度偏低可能与浮游植物摄取有关。结果显示了调研海区的浅水内湾特征。浮游植物所需营养充分。该湾仍维持正常状态。     

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.     

钻孔灌注桩施工对邻近运营隧道变形影响研究

桩基施工将引起周边地层位移和邻近隧道结构变形,以南京龙津桥改建项目桩基工程为背景,通过现场实测,分析研究钻孔灌注桩施工全过程各工况条件对地层位移场和邻近既有隧道结构变形的影响规律。结果表明:由于钢套管的护壁作用,钻孔灌注桩施工过程中产生的最大地层位移和隧道结构变形较小,说明采用“钢套管边旋压边取土”、“群桩间跳施工”等工艺,对周围土体扰动影响程度较小,建议近隧桩基工程采用全套管灌注桩的施工方法,监测分析结果可为类似工程提供技术参考。     

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.