Influence of Light-Frame Wood Structure Properties on Seismic Loss Estimation

Abstract eng:
Light frame wood structures represent the vast majority of construction type for residential structures throughout North America. As a result of this large stock of buildings in the U.S., earthquake-induced losses for this type of structure could have a severe financial impact on both individuals and the community as a whole. The 1994 Northridge earthquake in California resulted in economic losses of more than $20 billion for wood frame buildings alone, and provides the impetus for this study. A comprehensive loss estimation procedure was combined with nonlinear time history analysis for light-frame wood structures to investigate the most influential sources of loss such as structural and non-structural damage and contents damage. The strength and stiffness of the structure was correlated with the change in the nail schedule for the shearwalls as well as construction quality. The effect of these variants on the short and long term financial loss was then investigated through loss simulations which utilize assembly-based vulnerability. With the help of automated structural dynamics and loss analysis package developed for woodframe structures (SAPWood) at CSU, seismic loss estimation for a typical Western style single family home building was conducted for a series of configuration variations. It was concluded that there exists an intensity sensitive region for strength and stiffness which limits the effectiveness of improvements for small or large earthquakes.

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