New Perspectives in the Definition/Evaluation of Seismic Hazard through Analysis of the Environmental Effects Induced by Earthquakes

The devastating effects caused by the recent catastrophic earthquakes that took place all over the world from Japan, New Zealand, to Chile, as well as those occurring in the Mediterranean basin, have once again shown that ground motion, although a serious source of direct damage, is not the only parameter to be considered, with most damage being the result of coseismic geological effects that are directly connected to the earthquake source or caused by ground shaking. The primary environmental effects induced by earthquakes as well as the secondary effects (sensu Environmental Seismic Intensity - ESI 2007 scale) must be considered for a more correct and complete evaluation of seismic hazards, at both regional and local scales. This Special Issue aims to collect all contributions that, using different methodologies, integrate new data produced with multi-disciplinary and innovative methods. These methodologies are essential for the identification and characterization of seismically active areas, and for the development of new hazard models, obtained using different survey techniques. The topic attracted a lot of interest, 19 peer-reviewed articles were collected; moreover, different areas of the world have been analyzed through these methodologies: Italy, USA, Spain, Australia, Ecuador, Guatemala, South Korea, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia, China, Japan, and Nepal

The Vulnerability Assessment and the Damage Scenario in Seismic Risk Analysis

In this Ph.D thesis two methods for the vulnerability assessment of built-up area have been proposed: a macroseismic model, to be used with macroseismic intensity hazard maps, and a mechanical based model, to be applied when the hazard is provided in terms of peak ground accelerations and spectral values. The thesis illustrates the theoretical bases and provides the defining parameters of the two proposed methods for different masonry and reinforced concrete building typologies. The implementation of the two proposed methods for the estimation of the expected economic losses and of the consequences to people and to buildings, in terms of distributions or fragility curves, is, moreover, illustrated. The methods can be employed either with properly surveyed data or with statistical existent data of different origin and quality. A different uncertainty characterises the vulnerability assessment and the consequent damage evaluation depending on the quantity and on the quality of the data available for the analysis. Thanks to the clear analytical definition of the proposed methods, they can be easily implemented in a GIS environment: there, crossing the hazard and the vulnerability analyses, the evaluation of damage scenarios becomes an obvious following step. The use of the proposed seismic risk analysis procedures for risk management purposes becomes, therefore, very effective. The possibility of a constant updating of data and the rather fast computational process, allows decision makers to construct simply different scenarios testing the effectiveness of different set of mitigation strategies. The opportunity to draw real time scenarios of the likely impact of an earthquake can be useful to make risk decisions during the first hours following the event.Diese Doktorarbeit stellt zwei Ansätze für eine Vulnerabilitätsbewertung im bebauten Raum vor: ein makroseismisches Modell, das in Verbindung mit makroseismischen Intensitätskarten eingesetzt wird und ein mechanisches Modell, das dann zum Einsatz kommt, wenn eine Gefährdung in Bezug auf Spitzen-Bodenbeschleunigungen und Spektralwerte vorliegt. Die Arbeit zeigt die theoretischen Grundlagen auf und verweist auf die bestimmenden Parameter für die beiden vorgestellten Modelle im Hinblick auf unterschiedliche Mauerwerks- und Stahlbetonbauwerke. Darüber hinaus geht die Arbeit auf die Anwendung der beiden vorgestellten Modelle zur Bestimmung des zu erwartenden wirtschaftlichen Verlustes und der Auswirkung für Menschen und Bauwerk unter Zuhilfenahme von Verteilungs- oder Fragilitätskurven ein. Die Ansätze gehen entweder von Vermessungsdaten aus oder von statistischen Daten unterschiedlicher Herkunft und Qualität. Unterschiede in den Unsicherheiten wirken sich je nach Quantität und Qualität der für die Analyse zur Verfügung stehenden Daten auf die Vulnerabilitätsbewertung und die daraus folgende Schadensbewertung aus. Aufgrund einer klaren analytischen Definition der vorgestellten Methoden lassen sie sich ohne Weiteres in einer GIS-Umgebung einsetzen: hierbei wird durch Überschneidung der Gefahren- und Vulnerabilitätsanalysen die Bewertung von Schadensszenarien zu einem logischen Folgeschritt. Die vorgestellten Analyseverfahren für die Beherrschung seismischer Risiken lassen sich somit effektiv einsetzen. Durch kontinuierliche Datenaktualisierung und das sehr schnelle Rechenverfahren steht Entscheidungsträgern ein Weg zur Abschätzung der Wirksamkeit unterschiedlicher Maßnahmenszenarien zur Verfügung. Die Möglichkeit, Realtime-Szenarien für die wahrscheinliche Auswirkung eines Erdbebens durchzuspielen, kann für eine Entscheidungsfindung während der ersten Stunden nach dem Eintreten eines Erdbebenereignisses sehr hilfreich sein

Abschlussbericht für die Jahre 1996 - 2007 mit Berichtsband für die Jahre 2005 - 2007 [mit CD]

Sonderforschungsbereich 461 "Starkbeben : Von geowissenschaftlichen Grundlagen zu Ingenieurmaßnahmen" von Juli 1996 bis Dezember 2007 an der Universität Karlsruhe. Forschungsfeld des SFB 461 waren Starkbeben mit einem regionalen Fokus auf den Vrancea-Ereignissen in Rumänien, wo sie immer wieder starke Schäden verursachten. Diese Risiken und die Gewissheit, dass Rumänien und seine Städte wieder von einem Starkbeben betroffen werden, bildeten die Motivation der Arbeit, erkennend, dass Schadensminderung mit moderner Wissenschaft und Technik sowie mit konsequenter Implementierung des Wissens möglich und aussichtsreich ist

Perspectives on European Earthquake Engineering and Seismology: Volume 1

Civil Engineering; Natural Hazards; Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences Industry Sec; 2ECEES; Earthquake Engineering; Performance Based Design and Earthquake Engineering; Irregular Buildings and Earthquakes; Historical Structures and Earthquakes; Precast Buildings and Earthquakes; Bridge Design and Earthquake

Geotechnical Engineering for the Preservation of Monuments and Historic Sites III

The conservation of monuments and historic sites is one of the most challenging problems facing modern civilization. It involves, in inextricable patterns, factors belonging to different fields (cultural, humanistic, social, technical, economical, administrative) and the requirements of safety and use appear to be (or often are) in conflict with the respect of the integrity of the monuments. The complexity of the topic is such that a shared framework of reference is still lacking among art historians, architects, structural and geotechnical engineers. The complexity of the subject is such that a shared frame of reference is still lacking among art historians, architects, architectural and geotechnical engineers. And while there are exemplary cases of an integral approach to each building element with its static and architectural function, as a material witness to the culture and construction techniques of the original historical period, there are still examples of uncritical reliance on modern technology leading to the substitution from earlier structures to new ones, preserving only the iconic look of the original monument. Geotechnical Engineering for the Preservation of Monuments and Historic Sites III collects the contributions to the eponymous 3rd International ISSMGE TC301 Symposium (Naples, Italy, 22-24 June 2022). The papers cover a wide range of topics, which include: 　 - Principles of conservation, maintenance strategies, case histories - The knowledge: investigations and monitoring - Seismic risk, site effects, soil structure interaction - Effects of urban development and tunnelling on built heritage - Preservation of diffuse heritage: soil instability, subsidence, environmental damages The present volume aims at geotechnical engineers and academics involved in the preservation of monuments and historic sites worldwide

Research and Technology Objectives and Plans Summary (RTOPS)

This publication represents the NASA research and technology program for FY-93. It is a compilation of the Summary portions of each of the RTOP's (Research and Technology Objectives and Plans) used for management review and control of research currently in progress throughout NASA. The RTOP Summary is designed to facilitate communication and coordination among concerned technical personnel in government, in industry, and in universities. The first section containing citations and abstracts of the RTOP's is followed by four indexes: Subject, Technical Monitor, Responsible NASA Organization, and RTOP Number