Engineers Training on

Seismic Retrofit design of Masonry Buildings

5-9 August 2019, Kathmandu, Nepal

BASICS OF SEISMIC VULNERABILITY

ASSESSMENT

Organized By:
National Reconstruction Authority – CLPIU
(Building)
Baliyo Ghar Program (NSET), supported by
USAID

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 Objectives

At the end of the session, participants will be able to:

• Know the process of Seismic vulnerability assessment of

building

• Understand the Seismic Vulnerability factors

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 Process for Assessment
Qualitative structural assessment

Site Visit & Collect Data

Determine region of seismicity, Geology & level of performance

Identify building type

Quick Checks & Quick

Identify the vulnerability factors
Calculations

Interpret probable performance of the building at IX MMI

Yes Meet the criteria No Buildings does

of target level of not Comply
performance

Quantitative
Building Complies Recommendation Demolition
Assessment
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 Process for Assessment

Qualitative Assessment

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 Steps for Qualitative
Assessment
1. Site visit & collect data

2. Determine region of seismicity and geology

3. Determine level of performance

4. Identify building type

5. Identify fragility of the building

6. Identify vulnerability factors

7. Identify probable influence by the different vulnerability factors to the level of

performance of building

8. Reinterpret the building fragility based on observed vulnerability factors

9. Interpret the probable performance of the building at different intensities

10. Recommendation
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 1. Site visit & data collection

Building description:
Architectural & structural drawings
Site visit
Interview (House owner, structural
engineer/designer, contractor..)

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 2. Region of seismicity and
Geology
Seismic Zone factor:
 Earthquake zone : Zone V (IS 1893(Part1):2002)

 Seismic Zone Factor = 1, NBC 105 for Kathmandu

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 2. Region of seismicity and
Geology
Earthquake shaking level:
 Location on Intensity map: IX Intensity

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 2. Region of seismicity and
Geology
Liquefaction potential:
 Location on liquefaction map map: Medium liquefaction

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 3. Level of performance

 Performance level: Immediate Occupancy

(School Building)
 Importance factor : 1.5

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 4. Building Typology
Identification

No. Building Types

1 Adobe, stone in mud, brick-in-mud (Low
Strength Masonry).
2 Brick in Cement, Stone in Cement
3 Non-engineered Reinforced Concrete
Moment-Resisting-Frame Buildings
4 Engineered Reinforced Concrete Moment-
Resisting-Frame Buildings
5 Others

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 5. Fragility of the Building

 Fragility of unreinforced masonry building at different

intensity of earthquake:

Shaking Intensity (MMI) VII VIII IX

Damage Grades for Weak DG3 DG4 DG5

Different Classes of Average DG2 DG3 DG4
Buildings Good DG1 DG2 DG3

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 6.Identify Vulnerability factors

Building System
Lateral Force Resisting System
Diaphragm
Non Structural Components
Geologic Site Hazards and Foundations

(Checklists have been developed based on FEMA 310,

Handbook for the Seismic Evaluation and Strengthening of
Existing buildings- A Prestandard and IITK-GSDMA guideline
for Seismic Evaluation and Strengthening of Existing
Buildings. )

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 Factors associated with Building
System

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 Configuration

It is related to dimensions, building form, geometric

proportion and location of structural components

U shaped building L shaped building

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 Complex Shapes: Buildings
with re-entrant corners

U shaped building L shaped building

T shaped building Courtyard type building

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 Proportions

• Height to thickness ratio and Length to thickness ratio of

unreinforced masonry wall shall not be too large
• L/B < 3, H/B <3

h
L >3b

Long Narrow building b

Slender building
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 Adjacency/pounding

– Clear horizontal distance between building under

consideration and any adjacent building shall be
•Greater than 4% of height of shorter building
Except for buildings that are of same height with floors located
at the same levels

34 Pounding in situation (b) is far more damaging

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 Pounding effect

Buildings attached to each other without seismic gap

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 Geometry

•Shall avoid Complex Vertical Geometry

 Change in the horizontal dimension of lateral force
resisting system < 50% in a storey relative to adjacent
stories,
 Excluding penthouses and mezzanine floors, should be
made.

Vertical geometric irregularities

due to Set backs

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 Mass

• Irregular distribution of mass in different stories of the

building
•Change in effective mass <100% from one storey to the
next. Light roofs, penthouse, and mezzanine floors need
not be considered.

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 Torsion

• Torsion is due to difference in center of stiffness and center

of mass
• Shall be less than 30% of building dimension at right
angles to direction of loading considered

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 Redundancy

– Number of lines of vertical lateral load resisting

elements in each principal direction shall be greater
than or equal to 2

– Number of lines of shear walls in each direction shall

be greater than or equal to 2

Redundancy of Shear Wall

31
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 Masonry Units and Joints
• In masonry buildings, deteriorated masonry units and
joints can result in significant reductions in strength of
structural elements

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 Unreinforced masonry wall
cracks
•Diagonal wall cracks may reduce the strength and
stiffness of unreinforced masonry walls

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 Factors associated with Lateral
Force Resisting System

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 Shear Stress
in masonry shear walls

• If shear wall has a capacity in shear less than the

shear induced by earthquake load, shear failure may
occur and result in collapse.
• Shear Stress in Masonry shear walls:
τwall = Vj / Aw < 0.10 Mpa (or shear strength of wall)
Where,
Aw = total area of shear walls in the direction of the
loading
Vj = Maximum storey shear at storey level 'j‘

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 Openings in walls

• Total length of openings in a wall <50% of the length of the

wall between consecutive cross walls in single storey
construction, 42 % in two storey construction, and 33 %
in three storey buildings.

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 Position of Opening

• Openings shall not be located at corners or junctions of a

wall
• Openings shall not be placed closer to an internal corner
of a wall than 1/4 the opening height or 600mm, whichever
is greater.
• The width of pier between two openings shall not be less
than half of the opening height or 600mm, whichever is
greater.
• The vertical distance between two openings one above
the other should not be less than 600mm or half the width
of the smaller opening, whichever is greater.

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 Openings in walls

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 Seismic Resistant
Elements
• Plinth band, lintel band, sill band, gable band, roof
band, corner stitches
• Vertical reinforcement at corners and T junction and
around the openings

Corner Stitch

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 Factors associated with
Diaphragms

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 Diaphragm Continuity

• Split level floors and roofs, or diaphragms interruptions

create discontinuities in the diaphragm
• Reinforcing steel shall be present around the diaphragm
openings larger than 50% of the building width

Split level Large diaphragm opening

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 Lateral Restrainers

• For flexible floors

and roofs, each
joists and rafters
shall be restrained
by timber keys in
both sides of wall

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 Wall Anchorage
& Connections

• Walls shall be properly

anchored to diaphragm for
out of plane forces.

• Diaphragm shall be well

connected to transfer loads
to shear walls.

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 Diagonal Bracing

• Flexible Diaphragms are to

be diagonally braced

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 Additional factors for stone
buildings

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 Through Stones

• For stone
buildings, walls
shall have plenty of
through stones
extending the
whole width of
walls.

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 Non-structural
component

Parapet walls, partition walls, mumty, water

tanks, projections and staircase are non
structural elements behave like cantilevers if
they remain unrestrained and are subjected to
greater amplification as compared to ground
motion becoming prone to failure.

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 Non-structural
component failure

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 Unreinforced
Masonry Parapets

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 Factors associated with site
hazards and foundations

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 Area History

• The site shall not

have evidence of
landslide, mud flows,
soil settlement,
sinkholes, or fill soil.

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 Liquefaction

• Liquefaction
Susceptible
soil shall not
be present
underneath the
foundation.

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 Slope Failure

• Building shall be
sufficiently remote
from potential
earthquake induced
slope failures or rock
falls.

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 7.Influence of Different
Vulnerability Factors to the Building:
Increasing Vulnerability of the Building by different vulnerability
factors
Vulnerability Factors
High Medium Low N/A Not known
Shape √
Proportion in Plan √
Number of Storey √
Opening in walls √
Position of Opening √
Load Path √
Redundancy √
Configurat
Geometry √
ion /
Mezzanines/Loft/Sub-floors √
Building
Weak Storey √
System
Soft Storey √
Vertical Discontinuities √
Mass √
Adjacent Buildings √
Deterioration of material √
Masonry joints √
Cracks in wall √
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 8. Reinterpret the building
fragility
The building to fall under “Average" category of the
“Brick in Cement Building” typology

MMI VII VIII IX

Building Performance DG2 DG3 DG4

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 9. Probable
performance of the building

Performance of the Building

Description
MMI =VII MMI =VIII MMI = IX
Structural Damage Slight Moderate Heavy

 The probable structural damage to the building in MMI IX

earthquake is heavy with serious failure of walls; partial
structural failure of roofs and floors.

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 10. Summary & Recommendation

The building is average type of unreinforced masonry in

Building typology
cement mortar building
Shear strength of walls, lack of vertical reinforcement,
High Vulnerability
horizontal bands and corner stitches, transfer to shear
Factors to the Building
walls
Medium Vulnerability Openings in walls, position of openings, height of walls,
Factors to the Building liquefaction, non structural components
Probable structural MMI VII MMI VIII MMI IX
performance Slight Moderate Heavy
 Summary:
It is identified that the building is likely to suffer heavy structural
damage at large earthquake of intensity IX MMI.
 Suggested action:
The building is suggested to conduct Quantitative Assessment.
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 Recommendation

Meet the No
criteria of Buildings
Yes target level of does not
performance Complies

Building Quantitative Demolition

Complies Assessment

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 Quantitative Assessment

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 Destructive Test if needed

• Crushing test of concrete cubes

• Crushing test of brick masonry
• Tensile test of reinforcement

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 Destructive Test if needed

In-situ Shear Test of masonry walls

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 Retrofit Design

8/6/2019 Type your presentation theme - edit to put title on Insert/header & footer

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 Objectives review

At the end of the session, participants will be able to:

• Know the process of Seismic vulnerability assessment of

building

• Understand the Seismic Vulnerability factors

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 Thank You !!!

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