Volumetric Loss Estimation for Buildings Collapsed in Earthquake

Abstract eng:
The severity of seismic damage to buildings is usually defined by assigning a damage degree to the main structural elements, such as columns, beams or load-bearing walls. Nevertheless, past examples of earthquake disasters have suggested that the probability of casualty occurrence strongly depends on the loss of indoor space in affected buildings. From the previous point of view, the purpose of this paper is to define the deterioration of survival space of a collapsed building as volumetric loss and to propose a new numerical function of volumetric loss for the wooden frame structure building type, which is the most common type in Asia. In addition, this paper discusses the relation between volumetric loss and casualties. Using the results of this study, we have constructed a numeric relation between the volumetric loss index and the damage index, representing the structural damage of a building as the W-Function of a wood frame structure. As the study progressed, methods were developed to promote the strengthening of vulnerable building structure, reduce casualties in collapsed buildings, and to support search and rescue activities.

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