Developing Fragility Curves for a Typical Pile-Supported Wharf Structure

Abstract eng:
Container wharves are one of the main components in port systems which are susceptible to structural damage during seismic events. Since regional economies depend largely on the operation of port systems, assessment of the vulnerability of these systems to seismic events is crucial. Seismic risk analysis provides a framework to estimate potential economic losses by incorporating the available information on structure details, soil conditions, repair cost for different components, etc. This paper studies the fragility of wharf structures for a typical pile-supported wharf as part of the NEES-GC project, Seismic Risk Mitigation of Strategic Ports. For this purpose, a two dimensional detailed model is developed for a typical pile-supported wharf structure on the west coast of the United States. The modeled structure contains a pile-deck connection model calibrated to experimental results, pile elements with spread plasticity capability and fiber sections, and soil-structure interaction elements capable of liquefaction modeling. Based on experts opinion and experimental results, a set of limit states are considered for a number of critical components of the wharf structure whose damage induce a disruption in the normal operation of ports. Using the nonlinear model and the limit states, a set of fragility curves are developed for 63 ground deformations generated for this study. The outcome of this research will help port owners to indicate the most vulnerable components of port infrastructures and invest the limited retrofit resources for risk mitigation of ports.

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