Seismic fragility assessment of nonstructural components in unreinforced clay brick masonry buildings

Abstract

The results of an investigation of the probability of earthquake damage to nonstructural unreinforced masonry (URM) components are presented. The components include parapets, chimneys, and out-of-plane loaded facades typical of low-rise pre-1940 construction in Australia and New Zealand. The study is based on a street survey of component geometry, in situ data on material strength, and simplified mechanical models. Uncertainties in capacity and demand were quantified based on, respectively, stochastic and deterministic approaches. The damage probabilities were compared with relevant guidelines and empirical damage data from three earthquakes. The study established a link between the qualitative damage states reported in existing guidelines and the quantitative URM component damage states. While some median damage state thresholds correlated well with the data from the guidelines, a larger dispersion value was found in the current study due to the large variations in component properties. Comparisons with empirical data suggest that the developed fragility data provide a realistic estimate of nonstructural component damage that occurred in similar buildings, with a reasonable level of conservatism. The outcome is useful in rapid assessment of the seismic risks due to nonstructural component collapse in URM precincts. K E Y W O R D Schimney, clay brick, HAZUS, nonstructural, parapet, seismic risk, rapid assessment, unreinforced masonry

Investigating the vibration properties of integrated ceiling systems considering interactions with surrounding equipment

“…For lighting fixtures, diagonal braces are not typically deployed; thus, the suspension configuration is the same as that in the "AC w/o brace" configuration, except that there are only two suspension bars. The horizontal stiffness can be calculated following Equations (11) and (12).…”

“…Observations of the damage suffered by nonstructural components vary with the architectural style, and the damage can be categorized into two groups, ie, drift sensitive and acceleration sensitive . The failure of suspended ceiling systems, which is acceleration sensitive, is among the most commonly reported sources of damage .…”

“…10 Observations of the damage suffered by nonstructural components vary with the architectural style, and the damage can be categorized into two groups, ie, drift sensitive and acceleration sensitive. [11][12][13][14][15] The failure of suspended ceiling systems, which is acceleration sensitive, is among the most commonly reported sources of damage. [16][17][18] In their report entitled "Falling Prevention Guidelines for Nonstructural Components of Ceilings," the Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ) analyzed 172 cases of the damage or dropping of nonstructural components.…”

Determination of Seismic Role of Non-Structural Components On Earthquake Behaviour of RC Buildings Using Various Seismic Design Codes And Fault Distances

“…Results showed that the developed data provide a realistic estimate of non-structural component seismic performance (Derakhshan et al 2019). Pardalopoulos and Pantazopoulou investigated the seismic response of non-structural elements attached on multi-storey.…”

Seismic evaluation of two‐elevation ceiling system by shake table tests

“…The suspended ceilings are susceptible to damage and failure when buildings are subjected to earthquake‐induced strong ground motions, which leads to immeasurable economic loss and hinders the timely rescue of the injured 1–3 . For example, the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake highlighted the severe collapse and failure of massive ceiling panels in the San Francisco International Airport due to the collision between light fixtures and ceiling runners.…”