The state-of-the-art in seismic hazard and risk assessment has evolved to encompass, among others, ground motion selection methods, clustered seismicity, and new fragility assessment approaches. In contrast, nuclear power plant safety assessment follows a more conservative path, adhering to established methods with limited scope for experimentation. Bridging the divide to test and potentially introduce novel concepts requires...

To facilitate seismic analysis of bridges, especially on a regional scale, this study established a parametric finite element model of bridges incorporating simplified component elements. It employs a knowledge-enhanced neural network (KENN) to calibrate the parameters of the lumped plasticity model of pier columns. Along with a database of historical experimental results, the influence of the key characteristics of reinforced...

Onshore high - pressure gas pipelines constitute critical infrastructure that usually cross seismic - prone regions and are vulnerable to Permanent Ground Deformations (PGDs) due to active seismic faults. In design, it may not be feasible to avoid fault rupture areas due to various technical, economical and topographic reasons. Moreover, the presence of soil layers affects the PGDs resulting from a tectonic fault, which in tur...

This paper discusses the main results of a full-scale shaking table test campaign carried out under the auspices of the EU funded research project SERA, whose objective is to investigate the seismic performance of three-leaf masonry walls with weak lime-mortar joints. These masonry walls are widely found in seismic prone regions in the Mediterranean area, thus assessing their behaviour under dynamic actions is an important pre...

The response of a two-storey RC school building in the town of Argostoli, Cephalonia Island, Greece, during the seismic sequence of January and February 2014, is examined. The structure was built following an older generation of seismic codes dating from the 1950s, which provide limited strength and ductility against lateral loads. Despite the severity of ground shaking and the two successive events, the building suffered rela...

An assessment of liquefaction potential for the Kathmandu Valley considering seasonal variability of the groundwater table has been conducted. To gain deeper understanding seven historical liquefaction records located adjacent to borehole datapoints (published in SAFER/GEO-591) were used to compare two methods for the estimation of liquefaction potential. Standard Penetration Test (SPT) blowcount data from 75 boreholes inform...

Empirical vulnerability models are fundamental tools to assess the impact of future earthquakes on urban settlements and communities. Generally, they consist of sets of fragility curves that are derived from georeferenced post-earthquake damage data. Following the 2015 Nepal earthquake sequence, the World Bank, through the Global Program for Safer Schools, conducted a Structural Integrity and Damage Assessment (SIDA) of about...

Schools represent a reference point for communities in any part of the world. Therefore, their safety and resilience against natural catastrophes is of paramount importance. The recent 2015 Gorkha earthquake has unfortunately shown that Nepalese school buildings are highly vulnerable to seismic actions. Most of them are indeed constituted by low-quality unreinforced masonry (URM). The quantification of URM vulnerability is fun...