Seismic risk scenarios are obtained for an informal settlement in Mérida (Venezuela), which is representative of an important number of urban areas in earthquake-prone regions of the developing world. The vulnerability indices of the buildings range between 0.64 and 0.80 on a scale of 0 to 1. In an intensity IX earthquake scenario, more than 32% of the buildings would suffer damage of grade 4 (...

1. introduction earthquake is a significant natural disaster which always affects different areas. zirkooh city due to the existence of active faults always faces destructive earthquakes (rajabi, 1384, p. 279). in may 9, 1997 this city was stricken by a severe earthquake with an intensity of 1.7 richter scale, and faced severe physical injuries, financial, and social damages. following the eart...

In recent years, destructive earthquakes have shown the deficiencies of the existing buildings. One of the most effective mechanisms for dissipating the earthquake energy is inelastic deformation of the steel components. The objective of this research is to study the application of metallic dampers for dissipation of the earthquake energy and to investigate the behavior of concrete structures i...

Owners of building portfolios in earthquake country have several data-related seismic risk mitigation concerns: Before an earthquake, they need to know the locations and seismic characteristics of their buildings to know which might pose a potential seismic risk. They also need the ability to assess and prioritize riskmitigation efforts, and to develop emergency response plans. Immediately afte...

probably a change in living conditions. Even in the poorest US communities, most people now live and work in airconditioned buildings, or are at least protected by insect screens. In addition, the spacing of houses and other buildings has increased because modern urban areas have evolved around the motor vehicle. As a result, population density is much lower than in the past, a major impediment...

Fragility curves are very useful in quantifying the physical and economic damage of buildings that have undergone an earthquake. This paper presents the development of analytical fragility curves representative of mid-rise residential structures built with reinforced concrete, taking into account the specific structural characteristics of Algerian buildings. The derivation of the analytical fra...

field observations of the incurred damages to the buildings and bridges due to earthquakes in near field show there are various failure modes which are in relation to the forces caused by vertical component. while vertical component of earthquake for ordinary buildings in most seismic regulations and standards is not considered. therefore, in the current study the effects of vertical and horizo...