Establishing Programs and Priorities for the Seismic Rehabilitation of Buildings


Book Description

Provides nationally applicable guidelines for the use of a local jurisdiction in making informed decisions on rehabilitating seismically hazardous existing buildings. Provides references on the topics discussed in the first report




Energy and Seismic Renovation Strategies for Sustainable Cities


Book Description

The principle of sustainability should be strictly connected with safety, since both aim to conserve resources: in the case of sustainability, the resources are typically thought of as environmental, while in the case of safety, the resources are basically human. In spite of this common ground, discussions on sustainability usually give insufficient attention to safety. In the last years the EU has made large investments to increase the energy efficiency of the existing building stock, paving the way for a low-carbon future; however, less effort has been made to enhance its seismic resilience. Therefore, the safety and, consequently, the sustainability of towns situated in earthquake-prone countries remain inadequate. In such countries, energy renovation actions should be combined with seismic retrofitting. However, a number of barriers considerably limit the real possibility of extensively undertaking combined retrofit actions, especially for multi-owner housing and high-rise buildings. These barriers are of different kinds: technical (e.g., unfeasibility and/or ineffectiveness of conventional retrofit solutions), financial (e.g., high renovation costs, insufficient incentives/subsidies), organizational (e.g., occupants’ disruption and relocation, renovation consensus by condominium ownerships), and cultural/social (insufficient information and skills, lack of adequate policy measures for promoting renovation actions). This book aims to overcome these barriers and to bridge the gap between sustainability and safety, so to conserve both human and environmental resources.




Mechanics of Rubber Bearings for Seismic and Vibration Isolation


Book Description

Widely used in civil, mechanical and automotive engineering since the early 1980s, multilayer rubber bearings have been used as seismic isolation devices for buildings in highly seismic areas in many countries. Their appeal in these applications comes from their ability to provide a component with high stiffness in one direction with high flexibility in one or more orthogonal directions. This combination of vertical stiffness with horizontal flexibility, achieved by reinforcing the rubber by thin steel shims perpendicular to the vertical load, enables them to be used as seismic and vibration isolators for machinery, buildings and bridges. Mechanics of Rubber Bearings for Seismic and Vibration Isolation collates the most important information on the mechanics of multilayer rubber bearings. It explores a unique and comprehensive combination of relevant topics, covering all prerequisite fundamental theory and providing a number of closed-form solutions to various boundary value problems as well as a comprehensive historical overview on the use of isolation. Many of the results presented in the book are new and are essential for a proper understanding of the behavior of these bearings and for the design and analysis of vibration or seismic isolation systems. The advantages afforded by adopting these natural rubber systems is clearly explained to designers and users of this technology, bringing into focus the design and specification of bearings for buildings, bridges and industrial structures. This comprehensive book: includes state of the art, as yet unpublished research along with all required fundamental concepts; is authored by world-leading experts with over 40 years of combined experience on seismic isolation and the behavior of multilayer rubber bearings; is accompanied by a website at www.wiley.com/go/kelly The concise approach of Mechanics of Rubber Bearings for Seismic and Vibration Isolation forms an invaluable resource for graduate students and researchers/practitioners in structural and mechanical engineering departments, in particular those working in seismic and vibration isolation.




Seismic Ground Motion in Large Urban Areas


Book Description

The accelerated, and often uncontrolled, growth of the cities has contributed to the ecological transformation of their immediate surroundings. Factors contributing to the urban vulnerability include: lowering or rising of the water table, subsidence, loss of bearing capacity of soil foundations and instability of slopes. Recent catastrophic earthquakes highlight the poor understanding by decision makers of seismic related risk, as well as the tendency of some builders to use the cheapest designs and construction materials to increase short-term economic returns on their investment. Losses from earthquakes will continue to increase if we do not shift towards proactive solution. Disaster reduction is both an issue for consideration in the sustainable development agenda and a cross-cutting issue relating to the social, economic, environmental and humanitarian sectors. As location is the key factor, which determines the level of risk associated with a hazard, land-use plans and mapping should be used as tools to identify the most suitable usage for vulnerable areas.




Seismic Design for Architects


Book Description

Seismic Design for Architects shows how structural requirements for seismic resistance can become an integral part of the design process. Structural integrity does not have to be at the expense of innovative, high standard design in seismically active zones. * By emphasizing design and discussing key concepts with accompanying visual material, architects are given the background knowledge and practical tools needed to deal with aspects of seismic design at all stages of the design process * Seismic codes from several continents are drawn upon to give a global context of seismic design * Extensively illustrated with diagrams and photographs * A non-mathematical approach focuses upon the principles and practice of seismic resistant design to enable readers to grasp the concepts and then readily apply them to their building designs Seismic Design for Architects is a comprehensive, practical reference work and text book for students of architecture, building science, architectural and civil engineering, and professional architects and structural engineers.




Financial Incentives for Seismic Rehabilitation of Hazardous Buildings-an Agenda for Action


Book Description

Identifies and describes in detail the existing and potential regulatory and financial mechanisms and incentives in the various levels of government that can reasonably be used in a course of action to lessen the risks posed by existing buildings in an earthquake.




Planning for Seismic Rehabilitation


Book Description

Acquaints users with typical problems unrelated to design and construction processes that might arise when planning or engaging in seismic rehab. projects and programs. Alerts readers to the difficulties inherent in implementing seismic rehab. recommendations. Emphasizes 2 basic user-oriented concepts. The first is a process that outlines a set of decision points so the user can determine whether seismic rehab. efforts are needed &, if so, their potential scope. The 2nd offers a simple "escalation ladder" to help users understand the degree of conflict inherent in and the implications of choosing what, if any, seismic rehab. strategies to follow.




Quakeland


Book Description

A journey around the United States in search of the truth about the threat of earthquakes leads to spine-tingling discoveries, unnerving experts, and ultimately the kind of preparations that will actually help guide us through disasters. It’s a road trip full of surprises. Earthquakes. You need to worry about them only if you’re in San Francisco, right? Wrong. We have been making enormous changes to subterranean America, and Mother Earth, as always, has been making some of her own. . . . The consequences for our real estate, our civil engineering, and our communities will be huge because they will include earthquakes most of us do not expect and cannot imagine—at least not without reading Quakeland. Kathryn Miles descends into mines in the Northwest, dissects Mississippi levee engineering studies, uncovers the horrific risks of an earthquake in the Northeast, and interviews the seismologists, structual engineers, and emergency managers around the country who are addressing this ground shaking threat. As Miles relates, the era of human-induced earthquakes began in 1962 in Colorado after millions of gallons of chemical-weapon waste was pumped underground in the Rockies. More than 1,500 quakes over the following seven years resulted. The Department of Energy plans to dump spent nuclear rods in the same way. Evidence of fracking’s seismological impact continues to mount. . . . Humans as well as fault lines built our “quakeland”. What will happen when Memphis, home of FedEx's 1.5-million-packages-a-day hub, goes offline as a result of an earthquake along the unstable Reelfoot Fault? FEMA has estimated that a modest 7.0 magnitude quake (twenty of these happen per year around the world) along the Wasatch Fault under Salt Lake City would put a $33 billion dent in our economy. When the Fukushima reactor melted down, tens of thousands were displaced. If New York’s Indian Point nuclear power plant blows, ten million people will be displaced. How would that evacuation even begin? Kathryn Miles’ tour of our land is as fascinating and frightening as it is irresistibly compelling.







Seismic Retrofit of Existing Buildings


Book Description

Seismic Retrofit of Existing Buildings is a concise and easy-to-use guideline for practising engineers to assess and design successful seismic retrofit interventions for existing vulnerable buildings. It offers readers guidance on both conceptual design strategies and relevant detailed design considerations.