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Development of Realistic CFRP Retrofit Schemes for Existing RC Structures

Article · November 2016

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 ISSN 0967-859X
S THE SOCIETY FOR EARTHQUAKE AND
CIVIL ENGINEERING DYNAMICS
E
S E C E D
E
NEWSLETTER
D Volume 27 No 3
November 2016

In this issue
Development Development of Realistic
CFRP Retrofit Schemes for
Existing RC Structures 1

of Realistic CFRP Providing Search and

Rescue Assistance Pre-
and Post-Disaster 7

Retrofit Schemes Forthcoming Events

Notable Earthquakes
8

for Existing
April 2015 – December 2015 9

RC Structures
Daniel Pohoryles Humberto Varum
Jose Melo FEUP, University of Porto, Portugal
Tiziana Rossetto
Dina D’Ayala
EPICentre, University College London, UK

T
he reports of field investigation teams after recent
earthquake events have provided evidence for
a large number of brittle collapses of reinforced
concrete (RC) structures built before the introduction of
seismic design guidelines. The 2009 L’ Aquila earthquake,
for instance, has revealed the vulnerability of existing RC
structures built before the 1970’s to even moderate earth-
quakes (Global Risk Miyamoto, 2009). In particular, the
observation of weak-column/strong-beam mechanisms
and joint shear failure can be related to structural design
deficiencies and non-compliance to modern capacity de-
sign regulations (Ricci et al., 2011). A significant proportion
of the European RC building stock consists of structures
with inadequate reinforcement detailing, making demo-
lition and reconstruction highly uneconomical. Efficient,
fast and cost-effective retrofit solutions are hence required
and could potentially safe lives and reduce financial losses
in future earthquakes.
While traditional retrofit techniques, such as concrete
or steel jacketing, are most commonly used, they are

SECED Newsletter Vol. 27 No. 3 November 2016 | For updates on forthcoming events go to www.seced.org.uk 1
 Editor’s note: On 27th April 2016, Daniel Pohoryles and Jose Melo presented their research at a SECED technical
talk at the Institution of Civil Engineers. They provided this summary paper of their presentation and research.
associated with certain shortcomings. In particular, they
add weight and stiffness to the retrofitted structure and
are susceptible to corrosion. After substantial efforts into
developing composite materials for structural strengthen-
ing in the past 20 years, fibre reinforced polymers (FRP)
are now seen as a viable alternative to traditional retrofit
materials. A high strength-to-weight ratio, extended dura-
bility due to resistance to corrosion, and reduced labour
time are some of the reasons for their increasing popular-
ity (Bousselham, 2010). The limitations of FRP materials
include their susceptibility to debonding and very low duc-
tility of the material, which can however be addressed by
adopting appropriate design limits.
At component-level (beam or column), FRP is now com-
monly used for the repair and retrofit of concrete struc-
tures, in particular in the aftermath of the 2009 L’ Aquila,
Italy, and 2011 Christchurch, New Zealand, earthquakes.
These retrofits however rarely address the upgrade of
beam-column joints, which play a critical role in the cy-
clic behaviour of RC structures. For beams and columns to
reach their full design capacity, premature failure of joints
must be avoided. Moreover, the hierarchy of strength of
the framing members needs to be evaluated in accordance
with capacity design principles. These retrofit targets have
been addressed by a significant number of experimental
efforts in the literature. An analysis of 200 published tests
on non-seismically designed RC joints retrofitted with FRP
has however highlighted that a majority of these tests do



not reflect real conditions, as the specimens have scaled
dimensions (in 60% of cases) or do not include slabs or
transverse beams in the set-up (in 85%). The omission of
slabs means that failure mechanisms observed in the labo-
ratory are often not representative of the type of failures
seen in the field, which in turn shifts the retrofit targets
(Yu et al., 2015). Slabs and transverse beams also represent
obstacles to the practical implementation of retrofit solu-
tions, that may require drilling or cutting of concrete to
ensure the full wrapping of members, continuity of flexu-
ral strengthening or anchorage. Furthermore, the scale of
specimens has been shown to influence the effectiveness
of FRP retrofits (Choudhury et al., 2013). There is hence a
need for experimental validation of FRP retrofits for speci-
mens with realistic dimensions and geometry to include
the practical challenges found in real structures.
Experimental Testing and Results
In this study, realistic pre-1970’s full-scale interior beam-
column joints with slab and transverse beams are tested
under cyclic lateral loading in a set-up representative of
real structures in order to propose and assess the effective-
ness of new, practical FRP retrofit solutions for seismic ac-
tions.
A series of quasi-static cyclic tests are conducted as part
of a larger, on-going experimental campaign by University
College London and the University of Porto at the
Laboratory of Aveiro University (Portugal). The loading







   

 








 





Figure 1: Test set-up, prototype structure and sample of loading protocol.

2 For updates on forthcoming events go to www.seced.org uk | SECED Newsletter Vol. 27 No. 3 November 2016
set-up of the tests and specimen geometry are shown in
Figure 1. The full-scale specimens presented in this study
are three control specimens and three retrofit specimens.
The specimens are designed to represent real-scale interior
beam-column joints in a four-storey RC frame structure.
Control specimens
The reinforcement detailing adopted in two control and
all repair and retrofit specimens aims to reflect common
design practice of pre-1970’s reinforced concrete buildings
in the Mediterranean (see Pohoryles et al., 2015b). Due to
the non-compliance with capacity design principles and
common design deficiencies in such structures, brittle
failure mechanisms are anticipated. The design deficien-
cies include an inappropriate hierarchy of strengths (weak-
column/strong-beam) and a low shear capacity of the joint
due to the lack of reinforcement in the joint, as well as a
lack of confinement in the columns due to inadequate
transverse reinforcement spacing.
In order to assess potential failure mechanisms and in-
form the design of the FRP retrofit schemes, a full non-
linear finite element model of the specimens was created
(Pohoryles et al., 2015a). A failure mechanism characterised
by a low ductility and moderate strength was anticipated
and these results were confirmed by experimental obser-
vations (Pohoryles et al., 2015b). As anticipated, failure in
the column with rebar buckling was observed (Figure 3a).
Moreover, the strong contribution of the slab and asym-
metric reinforcement in the beam lead to limited rotation
and hence less cracking in the beams. For means of com-
parison, a specimen designed to modern seismic design
guidelines (Eurocode 8, EC8) was also tested, for which
a much larger strength (+96.4%) and ductility (+69.4%)
were observed.
FRP retrofit schemes
Three retrofit schemes are developed in this study and are
designed to address different targets as shown in Figure 2.
The proposed retrofit schemes are compliant with current
design recommendations (ACI, 2008; CNR, 2013) and the
relative capacities of the strengthened members is evalu-
ated by their design equations.
The first scheme (RT-A) consists of an FRP retrofit with
continuous column strengthening through the slab and
confinement along the potential column plastic hinge length
(Pohoryles et al., 2015b). It aims to improve the strength of
the specimen by (i) increasing the moment capacity and
ductility of the deficient column and (ii) increasing the glo-
bal displacement capacity of the specimen by connecting
the flexural strengthening of the superior and inferior col-
umns. The tests on the retrofitted specimen demonstrated
that the brittle single-storey failure with column bar buck-
ling observed in the control specimen can be avoided. The
strengthening of the column leads to a significant increase
in strength (+38%) compared to the control specimen. A
SECED Newsletter Vol. 27 No. 3 November 2016 | For updates on forthcoming events go to www.seced.org.uk
reversal of the hierarchy of strengths between column and
beams was however not achieved, as significant cracking in
the column-slab interface is observed (Figure 3b). This can
be explained by the very limited rotation of beams due to a
strong contribution of the slab.
The second scheme (RT-A-sw) aims to ensure a ductile
beam failure mechanism that follows capacity design prin-
ciples (Pohoryles et al., 2016). To improve the displacement
ductility of the specimen, selective weakening (SW) of the
slab contribution in addition to CFRP strengthening of the
column was implemented by cutting the slab reinforcement
along the potential plastic hinge zone of the beam. Limited
evidence of the effectiveness of selective weakening exists
for corner beam-column joints (Akguzel and Pampanin,
2010). As anticipated, this combined retrofit and weaken-
ing scheme lead to a reversal of the hierarchy of strength.
The cyclic behaviour of the strengthened specimen is char-
acterised by a ductile, beam-dominated failure mechanism
(Figure 3c). As shown in Figure 4, compared to retrofit
RT-A, no significant increase in strength, with only +13.5%
compared to control C1 was observed. Moreover, due to
the increased beam rotation and selective weakening, some
joint damage was noticed at the end of the test.
The final retrofit scheme, RT-B-sw consists of a com-
bined CFRP retrofit of columns, beams and joint with se-
lective weakening of the floor slab (Pohoryles et al., 2017).
The aim of this scheme is to significantly increase the lat-
eral capacity of the specimen, reaching a level close to 80%
of C-EC8, while ensuring a change in failure mechanism to
a ductile beam-sway mechanism with a plastic hinge form-
ing in the beams, at one beam-depth from the beam-joint
interface. For this effect, selective weakening and retrofit
of the beam are applied strategically to cause damage to
spread away from the joint. The retrofit was successful
in limiting damage to the columns and moving the plas-
tic hinge formation to the beam. As shown in Figure 3,
damage spread along the length of the beam without any
damage observed in the joint. As can be seen from the
force-drift envelopes in Figure 4, retrofit B-sw achieved
the highest ductility (6.9, +89.6% compared to control C1)
and lateral capacity (86.9, +38%) of all retrofit schemes. The
strength increase was slightly lower than the target 80% of
the specimen designed to modern guidelines. Still the fail-
ure mechanism and ductility observed for RT-B-sw (6.9 vs.
6.1 for EC8) are better than the EC8 specimen, for which
significant damage in the column was observed (Pohoryles
et al., 2017). The yield drift of the RT-B-sw was the high-
est amongst all specimens, indicating a reduced need for
repairs in the case of moderate earthquakes. Moreover, the
post-peak softening behaviour of the retrofitted specimen
was also significantly better than all other specimens, sig-
nifying a higher residual strength.
Conclusions
Studying the use of FRP for the seismic retrofit of RC
3
 Figure 2: Summary of three retrofit schemes and their performance objectives.

4 For updates on forthcoming events go to www.seced.org uk | SECED Newsletter Vol. 27 No. 3 November 2016
 (a) (b) (c) (d)

Figure 3: Damage in columns for (a) C1 and (b) RT-A, and beams for (c) RT-A-sw and (d) RT-B-sw.

structures has revealed that only limited experimental
work on the retrofit of realistic beam-column joints can be
found in the literature. To address this shortcoming, full-
scale interior beam-column joints with slab and transverse
beams are hence tested under cyclic loading to provide fur-
ther empirical evidence and propose realistic FRP retrofit
solutions.
The overarching aim of the three proposed retrofit
schemes is to prevent non-ductile single storey failure,
which are often reported in earthquake reconnaissance
missions. In the first retrofit scheme, RT-A, strengthening
of the columns leads to an increased lateral load capacity as
column failure is delayed and buckling of the column bars
is prevented. Full continuity of the flexural strengthening is
achieved using the proposed FRP strands.
RT-A however does not result in a desirable failure
mechanism, which highlights the importance of consid-
ering the slab when assessing the behaviour of retrofitted
beam-column joints. This observation confirms previous
work on the significance of slabs on the failure mechanism
of beam-column joints (Park and Mosalam, 2013).
The second retrofit, RT-A-sw, aims to address this limi-
tation by including selective weakening of the slab and is
found to be successful in reversing the hierarchy of strength
between columns and beams. Increased beam rotation and
damage demonstrate the effectiveness of selective weaken-
ing. Still, the retrofit only achieves a low increase in strength
and slight damage in the joint is observed.
For the final retrofit, RT-B-sw, beams and joint are ad-
ditionally strengthened and an improved ductile behaviour
is obtained with reversal of the hierarchy of strengths and
significant strength enhancement compared to the defi-
cient specimen.
Overall, the FRP retrofit schemes presented in this study
successfully address realistic geometric challenges of a
structure and could be practically implemented for real
buildings. The combined selective weakening and FRP ap-
proach can be seen as a successful intervention even for
structures with significant design deficiencies.

Force vs. drift envelope Force vs. drift envelope

100 100
C1 C1
80 C1 RT A 80 C1 RT B sw
C1 RT A sw 80% of C EC8
60 C1 RT B sw 60

40 40
Lateral Load (kN)
Lateral Load (kN)

20 20

0 0

-20 -20

-40 -40

-60 -60

-80 -80

-100 -100
-6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 -6 -5 -4 -3 -2 -1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
Drift (%) Drift (%)

Figure 4: Force-drift envelope for all specimens.

SECED Newsletter Vol. 27 No. 3 November 2016 | For updates on forthcoming events go to www.seced.org.uk 5
Acknowledgments
This study is funded as part of the Challenging RISK project
funded by EPSRC (EP/K022377/1). The authors acknowl-
edge the staff of the Civil Laboratory at the University of
Aveiro for the support during the experimental campaign.
The CFRP used in the experiments is kindly provided by
S&P reinforcement.
References
ACI (2008). ACI 440.2R-08 – Guide for the design and con-
struction of externally bonded FRP systems for strength-
ening concrete structures. American Concrete Institute,
Farmington Hills, Mich.
Akguzel, U., & Pampanin, S. (2010). Effects of varia-
tion of axial load and bidirectional loading on seismic
performance of GFRP retrofitted reinforced concrete
exterior beam-column joints. Journal of Composites for
Construction, 14: 94–104.
Bousselham, A. (2010). State of research on seismic retro-
fit of RC beam-column joints with externally bonded FRP.
Journal of Composites for Construction, 14: 49–61.
Choudhury, A. M., Deb, S. K., & Dutta, A. (2013). Study
on size effect of fibre reinforced polymer retrofitted rein-
forced concrete beam–column connections under cyclic
loading. Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering, 40: 353–
360.
CNR (2013). DT 200.R1/2013 – Guide for the Design and
Construction of Externally Bonded FRP Systems for
Strengthening Existing Structures – Materials, RC and PC
structures, masonry structures. CNR.
Global Risk Miyamoto (2009). 2009 M6.3 L’ Aquila, Italy,
SECED Newsletter
The SECED Newsletter is published quarterly. All contribu-
tions of relevance to the members of the Society are wel-
come. Manuscripts should be sent by email. Diagrams, pic-
tures and text should be attached in separate electronic files.
Hand-drawn diagrams should be scanned in high resolution
so as to be suitable for digital reproduction. Photographs
should likewise be submitted in high resolution. Colour im-
ages are welcome.
Please contact the Editor of the Newsletter, Damian Grant,
for further details.
Email
damian.grant@arup.com
Post
Editor SECED Newsletter
c/o The Secretary
SECED
Institution of Civil Engineers
One Great George Street
London, SW1P 3AA
United Kingdom
6 For updates on forthcoming events go to www.seced.org uk | SECED Newsletter Vol. 27 No. 3 November 2016
Earthquake Field Investigation Report.
Park, S., & Mosalam, K. M. (2013). Experimental investi-
gation of nonductile RC corner beam-column joints with
floor slabs. Journal of Structural Engineering, 139: 1–14.
Pohoryles, D. A., Melo, J., & Rossetto, T. (2015a).
Numerical modelling of FRP-strengthened RC beam-
column joints. Proceedings of the 2015 SECED Conference,
Cambridge, UK.
Pohoryles, D. A., Melo, J., Rossetto, T., Varum, H.,
& D’Ayala, D. (2017). A realistic full CFRP retrofit of RC
beam-column joints compared to seismically designed
specimens. Proceedings of the 16th World Conference on
Earthquake Engineering, Santiago, Chile.
Pohoryles, D. A., Rossetto, T., Melo, J., & Varum, H.
(2016). A combined FRP and selective weakening retro-
fit for realistic pre-1970’s RC structures. 1st International
Conference on Natural Hazards and Infrastructure:
Protection, Design, Rehabilitation, Chania, Greece.
Pohoryles, D., Melo, J., Rossetto, T., & Varum, H.
(2015b). Experimental investigation on the seismic FRP
retrofit of full-scale RC beam-column joints. Improving
the Seismic Performance of Existing Buildings and Other
Structures, ASCE, San Francisco, California, 619–631.
Ricci, P., De Luca, F., & Verderame, G. M. (2011). 6th
April 2009 L’ Aquila earthquake, Italy: reinforced concrete
building performance. Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering,
9: 285–305.
Yu, J., Shang, X., & Lu, Z. (2015). Efficiency of externally
bonded L-shaped FRP laminates in strengthening rein-
forced-concrete interior beam-column joints. Journal of
Composites for Construction, 20.
SECED
SECED, The Society for Earthquake and Civil Engineering
Dynamics, is the UK national section of the International and
European Associations for Earthquake Engineering and is an
Associated Society of the Institution of Civil Engineers. It is
also sponsored by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers,
the Institution of Structural Engineers, and the Geological
Society. The Society is also closely associated with the UK
Earthquake Engineering Field Investigation Team. The
objective of the Society is to promote co-operation in the
advancement of knowledge in the fields of earthquake
engineering and civil engineering dynamics including blast,
impact and other vibration problems.
For further information about SECED contact:
The Secretary
SECED
Institution of Civil Engineers
One Great George Street
London, SW1P 3AA, UK
Or visit the SECED website:
http://www.seced.org.uk
 Editor’s note: On 30th September 2015, the Institution of Civil Engineers hosted a SECED
technical evening talk from Gary Francis of SARAID. SECED Committee member and SARAID
team member, Mark Scorer, provided the following summary of SARAID’s activities.

Providing Search and Rescue Assistance

Pre- and Post-Disaster
Mark Scorer
Atkins and SARAID

S
earch and Rescue Assistance in Disasters, or SARAID,
is a British charity and non-governmental organisa-
tion (NGO) dedicated to trying to save the lives of
innocent victims of disaster, as well as relieving human suf-
fering around the world regardless of colour, creed, religion
and political persuasion. SARAID is registered with the
United Nations International Search and Rescue Advisory
Group (UN INSARAG). INSARAG is a global network of
more than 80 countries and organisations under the United
Nations umbrella. INSARAG deals with urban search and
rescue (USAR) related issues, aiming to establish minimum
international standards for USAR teams and methodol-
ogy for international coordination in earthquake response
based on the INSARAG Guidelines endorsed by the United
Nations General Assembly Resolution 57/150 of 2002, on
“Strengthening the Effectiveness and Coordination of
International Urban Search and Rescue Assistance”
SARAID is a Disaster Assistance Response Team that
specialises in Urban Search and Rescue which covers the
location and extraction of survivors trapped in collapsed
buildings or structures normally following an earthquake
or other natural or man-made disaster. SARAID is also able
to provide teams to assist in flood response/rescue, UN co-
ordination, building damage and needs assessments and are
one of the only teams in the UK that are trained by Bristol
City Council to erect and deploy its specialist flood barrier
system. SARAID also works closely with the International
Office for Migration (IOM). SARAID’s members are a
team of dedicated, highly trained unpaid volunteers from
all walks of life that are on standby 24/7, every single day
of the year. Team members do not receive a penny from
the organisation in the form of wages or expenses, do not
receive government funding and rely on public donations.
SARAID team members carry out a number of differ-
ent roles including: USAR Technicians, USAR Structural
Engineers, USAR Medics as well as team management,
HazMat and logistical support
SARAID not only provides a response team once a dis-
aster has happened but are also working with countries to
provide advice and training on how to cope in the initial
24 hours of the disaster, disaster risk reduction and ca-
pacity building. These projects have included Macedonia,
Nepal and Thailand with potential work in Moldova and
Philippines later in 2016/7.

SARAID members on the site of a collapsed five storey building in Nepal, 2015

SECED Newsletter Vol. 27 No. 3 November 2016 | For updates on forthcoming events go to www.seced.org.uk 7
 SARAID members on the site of a collapsed five storey building in Nepal, 2015

SARAID’s members have a wealth of experience and
have carried out operational deployments to earthquakes in
Turkey 1999, India 2001, Algeria 2003, Iran 2003, Pakistan
2005, Indonesia 2009, Haiti 2010, Nepal 2015 and most re-
cently, to Ecuador 2016. Other deployments have included
flood response work in Mozambique 2000, Mexico 2007,
UK 2014 and Sri Lanka 2004 following Indian Ocean tsu-
nami.
SARAID continues to train, fund raise and work closely
with communities to improve disaster resilience and be
ready to respond when needed.

Forthcoming Events
Date Venue Title People
30/11/2016 Institution of Civil Engi- The Link between Resilience Speakers: Barnali Ghosh and
at 18:00 neers, 1 Great George St, to Climate Change and Earth- David Viner (Mott MacDonald)
London quake Preparedness Organiser: Tiziana Rossetto
(UCL)
5–6/12/2016 Croydon Park Hotel, ASRANet Ltd Course: Engineer- Organisers: ASRANet Ltd,
All day Croydon, ing Structures Under Fire & Glasgow
London CR9 5AA Blast*
12/12/2016 The University of Leeds, Seismic Resistant Design of Speaker: Konstantinos Tsav-
at 18:00 Leeds LS2 9JT Connections with the Use of daridis (Leeds University)
Perforated Beams Organiser: IStructE Yorkshire

16–17/1/2017 ASRANet Ltd, ASRANet Ltd Course: Nuclear Organisers: ASRANet Ltd,
All day Glasgow G1 2DH Power Plant and Structural Glasgow
Response*

25–26/1/2017 Croydon Park Hotel, ASRANet Ltd Course: Design of Organisers: ASRANet Ltd,
All day Croydon, Earthquake Resistant Struc- Glasgow
London CR9 5AA tures*

*For details of courses organised by ASRANet Ltd, consult their website: http://asranet.co.uk/Courses.
Note that SECED members received a 15% discount on course fees.

For up-to-date details of SECED events, visit the website: www.seced.org.uk

8 For updates on forthcoming events go to www.seced.org uk | SECED Newsletter Vol. 27 No. 3 November 2016
Notable Earthquakes April 2015 – December 2015
Reported by British Geological Survey
Issued by: Davie Galloway, British Geological Survey, May 2016.
Non British Earthquake Data supplied by The United States Geological Survey.

Time Dep Magnitude

Year Day Mon UTC Lat Lon km ML Mb Mw Location
2015 02 APR 16:50 56.79N 5.57W 11 2.2 STRONTIAN, HIGHLAND
Felt Duror of Appin and Scotstown, Highland (2 EMS).
2015 03 APR 06:26 52.47N 0.18W 8 2.2 PETERBOROUGH, CAMBS
Felt Peterborough, Leverington and Whittlesey (Cambridgeshire), Oakham and Lyddington (Rutland) and
Bourne (Lincolnshire) (3 EMS).
2015 04 APR 13:56 59.21N 1.05W 10 1.7 NORTHERN NORTH SEA
2015 07 APR 19:03 60.30N 1.81E 11 2.2 NORTHERN NORTH SEA
2015 09 APR 23:48 53.70N 1.12W 1 1.2 HENSALL, NORTH YORKSHIRE
Felt Hensall (2 EMS)
2015 17 APR 15:52 15.88S 178.60W 10 6.5 FIJI ISLANDS REGION
2015 20 APR 01:42 24.20N 122.32E 29 6.4 OFFSHORE TAIWAN
One person killed, a few others injured and several buildings damaged in Hsinchuang District, New Taipei.
2015 23 APR 18:19 51.65N 0.68E 7 1.9 NORTH FAMBRIDGE, ESSEX
2015 25 APR 06:11 28.23N 84.73E 8 7.8 NEPAL
Some 8,776 people killed (with 388 still reported missing), over 19,000 people injured and over 750,000
houses either destroyed or severely damaged in Nepal, India, China and Bangladesh. Damage estimated to
exceed $US 5billion.
2015 25 APR 06:45 28.22N 84.82E 10 6.6 NEPAL
2015 26 APR 07:09 27.77N 86.02E 22 6.7 NEPAL
2015 30 APR 10:45 5.38S 151.77E 31 6.7 PAPUA NEW GUINEA
2015 01 MAY 08:06 5.20S 151.78E 44 6.8 PAPUA NEW GUINEA
2015 05 MAY 01:44 5.46S 151.88E 55 7.5 PAPUA NEW GUINEA
2015 07 MAY 07:10 7.22S 154.56E 10 7.1 SOLOMON ISLANDS
2015 11 MAY 18:55 54.15N 2.91W 2 1.7 KENTS BANK, CUMBRIA
2015 12 MAY 07:05 27.81N 86.07E 15 7.3 NEPAL
At least 153 people were killed in Nepal, 62 were killed in India, two in Bangladesh and one in Tibet.
2015 12 MAY 21:12 38.91N 142.03E 35 6.8 OFFSHORE HONSHU, JAPAN
2015 19 MAY 15:25 54.33S 132.16W 7 6.7 PACIFIC/ANTARCTIC RIDGE
2015 20 MAY 22:48 10.88S 164.17E 11 6.8 SOLOMON ISLANDS
2015 22 MAY 01:52 51.30N 1.44E 12 4.2 RAMSGATE, KENT
Over 1,800 reports from an automatic online questionnaire were received from members of the public who
felt the earthquake, almost all coming from a 75km radius of the epicentre, and covering Ramsgate, Margate
and their surrounding hamlets, as far as Dover and Folkestone (20–30km SW of the epicentre), Canterbury
(25km west of the epicentre) and Herne Bay (20km NW of the epicentre). Further afield, reports were re-
ceived from the Faversham, Chatham, Basildon and Southend-on-Sea areas. The most distant reports were
from Cromer (175km to the north), Leicester (220km to the NW), Bicester (190km to the WNW) and Andover
(200km to the WSW). (Max Intensity 5 EMS).
2015 22 MAY 21:45 11.06S 163.70E 11 6.9 SOLOMON ISLANDS
2015 22 MAY 23:59 11.11S 163.22E 10 6.8 SOLOMON ISLANDS

SECED Newsletter Vol. 27 No. 3 November 2016 | For updates on forthcoming events go to www.seced.org.uk 9
 Time Dep Magnitude
Year Day Mon UTC Lat Lon km ML Mb Mw Location
2015 26 MAY 15:41 53.12N 4.36W 9 3.0 CAERNARFON, GWYNEDD
Felt throughout Anglesey and also felt in Gwynedd (mostly to the north of the County), on the Lleyn Penin-
sula and by people in Conwy (Max Intensity 3 EMS).
2015 29 MAY 07:00 56.59N 156.43W 72 6.7 ALASKA PENINSULA
2015 30 MAY 11:23 27.84N 140.49E 664 7.8 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN
Twelve people injured in Tokyo.
2015 30 MAY 18:09 53.99N 1.88W 7 1.7 SKIPTON, NORTH YORKSHIRE
2015 30 MAY 19:20 54.33N 1.86W 11 2.6 BELLERBY, NORTH YORKSHIRE
Felt Crackpot (2 EMS).
2015 04 JUN 23:15 5.99N 116.54E 10 6.0 BORNEO, MALAYSIA
At least eighteen people killed, several others injured and many hostels, schools and public buildings dam-
aged in the Kundasang-Ranau area, Sabah, Borneo.
2015 10 JUN 13:03 51.06N 4.71W 23 2.0 BRISTOL CHANNEL
2015 12 JUN 09:38 51.71N 4.16W 6 1.8 LLANELLI, CARMARTHENSHIRE
2015 16 JUN 16:02 53.56N 1.66W 11 1.8 PENISTONE, SOUTH YORKSHIRE
2015 17 JUN 12:51 35.36S 17.16W 10 7.0 SOUTHERN MID-ATLANTIC RIDGE
2015 23 JUN 12:18 27.74N 139.73E 460 6.5 BONIN ISLANDS, JAPAN
2015 26 JUN 11:55 53.32N 3.33W 5 1.9 HOLYWELL, FLINTSHIRE
2015 30 JUN 07:59 53.32N 2.60E 18 2.9 SOUTHERN NORTH SEA
2015 03 JUL 01:07 37.46N 78.15E 20 6.4 SOUTHWEST XINJIANG
Three people killed, over 250 others injured and around 3,000 homes destroyed in the Hotan area.
2015 06 JUL 07:59 56.96N 7.20E 29 2.5 EASTERN NORTH SEA
2015 08 JUL 14:32 57.25N 6.70E 27 3.1 EASTERN NORTH SEA
2015 09 JUL 05:12 55.98N 11.89W 21 1.9 ATLANTIC, NW OF IRELAND
2015 10 JUL 04:12 9.31S 158.40E 12 6.7 SOLOMON ISLANDS
2015 10 JUL 22:40 62.73N 2.23E 26 3.2 NORTHERN NORTH SEA
2015 12 JUL 03:49 49.25N 1.684W 4 1.3 JERSEY, CHANNEL ISLANDS
Felt Jersey (2 EMS).
2015 16 JUL 15:16 13.87N 58.55W 20 6.5 WINDWARD ISLANDS
2015 17 JUL 09:58 54.70N 3.04W 5 1.6 CALDBECK, CUMBRIA
2015 18 JUL 02:27 10.40S 165.14E 11 7.0 SOLOMON ISLANDS
2015 20 JUL 22:36 56.66N 5.21W 10 1.3 BALLACHULISH, HIGHLAND
Felt Ballachulish (2 EMS).
2015 22 JUL 19:12 50.06N 0.51W 5 1.9 ENGLISH CHANNEL
2015 24 JUL 20:59 33.86N 73.19E 17 5.1 PAKISTAN
Three people killed and one injured in Abottabad.
2015 27 JUL 04:49 52.38N 169.45W 29 6.9 ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
2015 27 JUL 21:41 2.63S 138.53E 48 7.0 PAPUA NEW GUINEA
One person killed, eight buildings destroyed, several other buildings damaged and many roads damaged in
Kasonawejo and Mamberamo.
2015 31 JUL 15:38 53.00N 5.35W 10 1.8 IRISH SEA
2015 06 AUG 15:03 53.18N 2.17E 4 4.1 SOUTHERN NORTH SEA
Felt Sheringham and Hickling on the Norfolk coast and also felt on nearby oil platforms in the Laman Alpha
field (3 EMS).

10 For updates on forthcoming events go to www.seced.org uk | SECED Newsletter Vol. 27 No. 3 November 2016
 Time Dep Magnitude
Year Day Mon UTC Lat Lon km ML Mb Mw Location
2015 07 AUG 01:25 2.14S 28.90E 11 5.8 SOUTH KIVU, CONGO
At least two people killed in Katana.
2015 10 AUG 04:12 9.34S 158.05E 22 6.6 SOLOMON ISLANDS
2015 12 AUG 18:49 9.33S 157.88E 6 6.5 SOLOMON ISLANDS
2015 16 AUG 14:54 57.49N 5.26W 11 1.6 ACHNASHEEN, HIGHLAND
2015 20 AUG 05:25 48.92N 9.60W 5 2.6 CELTIC SEA
2015 26 AUG 17:29 59.05N 1.78E 10 2.2 NORTHERN NORTH SEA
2015 12 SEP 02:00 53.15N 4.47W 7 1.7 CAERNARFON BAY, GWYNEDD
Felt Rhosneigr, Tregarth, Llangefni, Brynsiencyn, Gwalchmai, Llanllechid and Waunfawr, North Wales (3 EMS).
2015 13 SEP 08:14 24.91N 109.62W 10 6.7 GULF OF CALIFORNIA
2015 16 SEP 22:54 31.57S 71.67W 22 8.3 COQUIMBO, CHILE
At least fifteen people killed, four still missing (presumed dead), over 35 others were injured and over 2,800
houses destroyed or damaged from the earthquake and resultant tsunami in Coquimbo, Valparaiso and San-
tiago Metropolitana regions. The Pacific-wide tsunami which was generated had a maximum wave height of
4.75m, recorded at Coquimbo, Chile.
2015 16 SEP 23:18 31.56S 71.43W 28 7.0 COQUIMBO, CHILE
2015 17 SEP 03:55 31.42S 71.69W 27 6.5 COQUIMBO, CHILE
2015 17 SEP 04:10 31.52S 71.80W 23 6.7 COQUIMBO, CHILE
2015 21 SEP 17:40 31.73S 71.38W 21 6.6 COQUIMBO, CHILE
2015 22 SEP 21:40 52.70N 0.72W 3 2.8 OAKHAM, RUTLAND
Over 800 reports from an automatic online macroseismic questionnaire were received from members of the
public who felt the earthquake, almost all within a 20km radius of the epicentre, and mainly from Oakham
and the surrounding area. There were a number of reports received from locations further afield, the ex-
tremes being from near Burton-upon-Trent (60km west of the epicentre), Northampton (50km to the south)
and Wisbech (55km to the east). (Max Intensity 3 EMS).
2015 24 SEP 15:53 0.62S 131.26E 18 6.6 WEST PAPUA, INDONESIA
At least 62 people injured and 260 houses damaged in Kabupaten Sorong.
2015 08 OCT 22:04 55.13N 3.89W 4 1.2 MONIAIVE, D & G
Felt Moniaive, Dunscore, Loch Urr and Lochfoot (3 EMS).
2015 11 OCT 02:46 53.57N 2.20E 6 2.1 SOUTHERN NORTH SEA
2015 17 OCT 11:33 25.47S 64.48W 17 5.8 ARGENTINA
Two people killed, 30 others injured and 22 homes destroyed in El Galpon.
2015 20 OCT 21:52 14.86S 167.30E 135 7.1 VANUATU
2015 27 OCT 09:09 36.52N 70.37E 231 7.5 HINDU KUSH, AFGHANISTAN
At least 395 people killed, over 2,000 others injured and over 100,000 homes/buildings destroyed or dam-
aged in Jalalabad, Afghanistan and in northern Pakistan (mainly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa).
2015 30 OCT 22:56 56.71N 6.43W 2 1.6 COLL, ARGYLL & BUTE
2015 04 NOV 03:44 8.34S 124.86E 20 6.5 KEPULAUAN ALOR, INDONESIA
Many buildings and homes damaged on Pulau Alor and Timor.
2015 07 NOV 06:58 8.47N 71.40W 15 5.6 VENEZUELA
One person killed and four others injured by a rockfall in Merida.
2015 07 NOV 07:31 30.88S 71.45W 46 6.8 COQUIMBO, CHILE
2015 08 NOV 16:47 6.84N 94.65E 10 6.6 SUMATRA, INDONESIA
2015 09 NOV 16:03 51.64N 173.08W 15 6.5 ALEUTIAN ISLANDS
2015 11 NOV 01:54 29.51S 72.01W 12 6.9 COQUIMBO, CHILE

SECED Newsletter Vol. 27 No. 3 November 2016 | For updates on forthcoming events go to www.seced.org.uk 11
 Time Dep Magnitude
Year Day Mon UTC Lat Lon km ML Mb Mw Location
2015 11 NOV 02:46 29.51S 72.06W 10 6.9 COQUIMBO, CHILE
2015 13 NOV 20:51 31.00N 128.87E 12 6.7 KYUSHU, JAPAN
2015 17 NOV 07:10 38.67N 20.60E 11 6.5 LEFKADA, GREECE
Two people killed, four injured and extensive damage occurred on Lefkada.
2015 18 NOV 18:31 8.90S 158.42E 13 6.8 SOLOMON ISLANDS
2015 19 NOV 09:24 53.24N 1.20W 5 1.8 WARSOP, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
2015 19 NOV 10:31 53.24N 1.20W 6 1.7 WARSOP, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
2015 19 NOV 14:18 56.86N 7.46E 10 3.7 EASTERN NORTH SEA
2015 20 NOV 21:48 53.24N 1.12W 5 1.7 WARSOP, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
2015 21 NOV 00:55 53.25N 1.12W 5 1.8 WARSOP, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
2015 22 NOV 18:16 36.43N 71.42E 102 5.7 HINDU KUSH, AFGHANISTAN
One person killed, one person injured and one house damaged in Dandukai, Pakistan.
2015 22 NOV 20:38 8.52N 71.39W 10 5.1 VENEZUELA
One person killed (by a landslide), three people injured and six homes damaged in Merida.
2015 24 NOV 22:45 10.54S 70.94W 606 7.6 PERU
2015 24 NOV 22:50 10.06S 71.02W 620 7.6 PERU
2015 25 NOV 20:30 53.26N 1.12W 5 1.9 WARSOP, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
2015 25 NOV 22:38 53.25N 1.12W 5 1.6 WARSOP, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
2015 26 NOV 02:10 53.25N 1.12W 5 2.1 WARSOP, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
Felt Clumber Park (2 EMS).
2015 26 NOV 05:45 9.18S 71.26W 602 6.7 BRAZIL
2015 27 NOV 11:42 53.25N 1.12W 5 2.2 WARSOP, NOTTINGHAMSHIRE
Felt Meden Vale and Carburton (2 EMS).
2015 04 DEC 22:25 47.62S 85.09E 35 7.1 SOUTHEAST INDIAN RIDGE
2015 07 DEC 07:50 38.21N 72.78E 22 7.2 TAJIKISTAN
Two people killed, at least 13 others injured (mainly from landslides and rockfalls) and over 1,500 buildings
destroyed or damaged in Kuhistoni Badakhshon.
2015 09 DEC 10:21 4.11S 129.51E 21 6.9 BANDA SEA
2015 11 DEC 07:20 61.84N 4.30E 10 3.8 NORWEGIAN COAST
2015 13 DEC 05:28 51.65N 3.21W 5 2.4 BLACKWOOD, CAERPHILLY
2015 17 DEC 19:49 15.80N 93.63W 85 6.5 CHIAPAS, MEXICO
Two people killed in Cocotitlan.
2015 21 DEC 10:31 56.97N 7.01E 17 4.0 EASTERN NORTH SEA
2015 24 DEC 01:59 52.80S 2.82W 13 1.5 LLANFACHRETH, GWYNEDD
Felt Upper Corris (2 EMS).
2015 25 DEC 19:14 36.49N 71.13E 206 6.3 HINDU KUSH, AFGHANISTAN
Four people killed, several others injured and scores of houses destroyed in Gilgit-Baltisan, Pakistan and in
northeast Afghanistan.
2015 27 DEC 14:33 51.67N 3.18W 11 1.8 BLACKWOOD, CAERPHILLY
2015 27 DEC 21:54 51.66N 3.18W 9 1.8 BLACKWOOD, CAERPHILLY
2015 28 DEC 22:11 51.66N 3.17W 10 1.6 BLACKWOOD, CAERPHILLY
2015 30 DEC 01:03 51.66N 3.16W 11 1.9 BLACKWOOD, CAERPHILLY
Felt Crosskeys (2 EMS).

12 For updates on forthcoming events go to www.seced.org uk | SECED Newsletter Vol. 27 No. 3 November 2016

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