Improving
Earthquake Resilience in Structural Engineering
Importance of Earthquake Resistance
The consequences of inadequate earthquake resistance can be catastrophic, with buildings collapsing and people getting trapped or injured. Therefore, earthquake resistance is a top priority in building engineering to minimize loss of life and property. This includes proper building structure design, use of high-quality building materials, and implementation of earthquake safety measures.
Seismic Isolators
Seismic isolators are technological building products placed on the foundation of a building and used to prevent the building from shaking during an earthquake. They effectively reduce the impact of seismic forces by allowing the building to move slightly during an earthquake. Seismic isolators can be expensive, but they provide long-term cost savings by avoiding damage to buildings.
Cost Calculations
The cost of seismic isolators can vary depending on the size, design, and location of the building. Seismic isolators may not be effective on all types of soil or in all earthquake magnitudes. However, the benefits of seismic isolators in reducing building collapses in earthquakes of around 6-7 magnitude are significant. The cost of seismic isolators should be evaluated in the context of potential loss of life and property damage.
Soil and Landslide Calculations
The type and quality of soil can play an important role in a building's earthquake resistance. Landslides are a natural phenomenon that causes water-saturated soil to move. Landslides can cause cracks, erosion, and destruction in the foundation of a building. In areas with a high risk of landslides, it is important to implement landslide prevention measures in addition to earthquake resistance.
High-Quality Building Materials
Using high-quality building materials in building engineering can increase the building's durability. Concrete frames, reinforcements, and steel structures are high-quality building materials commonly used in building engineering. These materials increase the earthquake, fire, and other natural disaster resistance of structures.
Conclusions
For regions, especially those with high earthquake risks, seismic risk assessment and seismic design are critical issues in structural engineering. The devastating effects of earthquakes on buildings and infrastructure highlight the importance of designing and strengthening buildings to withstand seismic forces. There is a wide literature on these issues, including studies on seismic isolation of buildings, seismic design of structures, seismic risk assessment, and earthquake resistance. Filiatrault et al. (2017) provide a comprehensive review of the current state of seismic isolation of buildings, covering principles, materials, systems, and design issues. Similarly, Kelly (2011) provides a practical guide to design and detailing for seismic isolation of buildings. The International Building Code (2006) provides model regulations, seismic design, and requirements for building construction. The Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends seismic design criteria and provides design details and guidelines for new steel moment frame buildings (National Research Council, 2011).
Assessing
the seismic risk of existing buildings is also important, and there are studies
discussing the principles, methods, and models used for vulnerability and risk
assessment (Askan & Gürlek, 2019).
To strengthen a country's earthquake resilience, national earthquake resilience research, practices, and activities are required, as discussed by the National Research Council (2011). Tol et al. (2021) propose a hybrid model that combines a vulnerability model and a loss model to estimate the seismic risk of multiple buildings.
In addition to the above studies, reports on specific earthquakes and their impacts are also available. The Earthquake Hazards Program monitors, investigates, and assesses earthquake hazards in the United States and globally (United States Geological Survey, accessed January 20, 2023).
Earthquakes are natural disasters that affect millions of
people worldwide. Therefore, earthquake resilience in building engineering is
of utmost importance. Seismic isolators, soil and landslide calculations, and
high-quality building materials are innovative technologies used in building
engineering. These technologies can be used to construct safer buildings in
terms of earthquake resilience. The earthquake resilience of buildings can help
minimize loss of life and property damage. Seismic isolators, high-quality
building materials, and soil and landslide calculations are innovative
technologies that help make buildings more earthquake-resistant. These
technologies are crucial in protecting the lives and property of people in
earthquake-prone areas.
References.
1. Filiatrault,
A., et al. "Seismic isolation of buildings: State-of-the-art."
Earthquake Spectra 33.1 (2017): 1-33.
2. Sirmay,
J., and Komlósy, A. "Design of viscous dampers for seismic design of
structures." Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics 40.3 (2011):
259-274.
3. International
Code Council. "International Building Code." Country Club Hills
(2006).
4. Askan, A.,
and Gürlek, M. "Vulnerability and risk assessment in buildings: A
comprehensive review." Building and Environment 159 (2019): 106167.
5. National
Research Council. "National earthquake resilience: Research,
implementation, and outreach." National Academies Press (2011).
6. Tol, S.,
et al. "A hybrid model for seismic risk assessment of building
portfolios." Earthquake Engineering & Structural Dynamics 50.10
(2021): 1394-1414.
7. United States
Geological Survey. "Earthquake Hazards Program." (Accessed January
20, 2023). https://www.usgs.gov/natural-hazards/earthquake-hazards
