Seismic risk analysis
The procedure on which all seismic work is based: the seismic risk analysis.
The seismic vulnerability of a structure is a rating of the structure’s resilience in relation to the seismic area it is in and/or ground acceleration.
Different investigations can be carried out to determine buildings’ seismic vulnerability, going into different levels of detail: for example, there are more quality-based estimates, based on information gleaned from the specification sheets of the main features of the building’s component elements; and complex numerical analyses using linear and non-linear calculation methods.
Estimating vulnerability based on specification sheets is done as part of a site inspection, associating a certain class with a set of parameters that are representative of the type of structure and the state of repair of the main load-bearing elements. A rating scale is associated with each parameter that varies based on the class that can be associated.
In Italy, the process of estimating a building’s seismic vulnerability rating is dictated by the “Safety assessment” design procedure laid out in section 8.5 of Italy’s building code (NTC), and can be narrowed down into the following steps.
- Fact-finding investigation: the current state of the construction is determined by means of floor plan, elevation and structural surveys, and surveys to determine the structure’s state of repair and level of deformation;
- Historical/critical analysis: this is the tool that informs the designer’s reconstruction of the current strain in light of changes and events that have affected the building over time;
- Determination of mechanical properties of materials: assessment of the materials’ strength by means of investigations on site or laboratory testing;
- Determining levels of knowledge and resulting levels of confidence: reduction factors for the mechanical properties of materials are determined that decrease as the level of detail of the investigations increases;
- Structural analysis and determination of the vulnerability of the existing structural system;
- Proposal of any local strengthening/improvement/retrofit work and assessment of the optimal cost-benefit ratio
Seismic risk assessment is a subject of paramount importance when dealing with issues such as seismic retrofitting and improvements. Find out everything there is to know about seismic risk analysis.
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