Analytical Displacement-Based Seismic Fragility Analysis of Stone Masonry Buildings

Abstract eng:
In an effort to reduce seismic risks, the Geological Survey of Canada has recently taken important steps by initiating a project on quantitative assessment of earthquake related risks. One of the objectives of this project is to study the seismic vulnerability of historic stone masonry buildings generally known for their poor performance during strong ground motion. This paper focuses on the development of analytical displacement-based fragility curves reflecting the characteristics of existing stone masonry buildings in Canada. The fragility analysis provides the necessary link between the building damage and earthquake intensity in a probabilistic setting, where the extent of building damage is best correlated to the amount of induced building displacement. The old historic center of Quebec City was selected as a typical study area due to the concentration of stone masonry buildings, which combined to the high heritage value increases the potential consequences of failure. Comparison was made with similar fragility curves implicit in Hazus-MH and ELER seismic risk assessment tools. Differences have been observed between the three sets of fragility curves which may lead to significantly disparate damage estimates. This comparison shows the importance of the development of fragility curves specific to the generic construction characteristics in the study area and emphasizes the need of critical use of existing risk assessment tools and generated results.

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