An Analytical Study on the Seismic Vulnerability of Masonry Buildings in India

Abstract

Two analytical models for unreinforced masonry (URM) buildings are proposed with the aim to simulate their seismic response and to estimate corresponding vulnerability functions. The proposed models are implemented in SAP 2000 nonlinear software to obtain capacity curve parameters for representative Indian URM buildings, based on a field survey and statistical analysis. Vulnerability functions are estimated using the obtained capacity curves. Damage Probability Matrices (DPMs) are obtained using the approximate PGA-intensity correlation relationship as per Indian seismic building code and are compared with the commonly used intensity scales and empirical damage data observed after the 2001 Bhuj earthquake.

Keywords:

• Masonry Buildings
• Vulnerability
• Damage Probability Matrix
• Pushover Analysis
• Displacement Modification Method

Acknowledgments

The work described in this article was partly prepared during an Indo-Norwegian Program of Institutional Cooperation funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy to India in New Delhi and the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India. The authors are grateful to two anonymous reviewers for valuable comments and ideas, and Marjorie Greene (EERI, Oakland, CA) for a detailed language edit.