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Preliminary Assessment of Earthquake Vulnerability of RC Buildings by Japanese Index Method

Corresponding Author : Mushtaq Ahmed (mushtaq_cee@yahoo.com)

Authors : M. R. Hossain (iamrakibce15@gmail.com), M. R . Alam (rakibce15@sec.ac.bd), M. Ahmed (mushtaq_cee@yahoo.com)

Keywords : Earthquake, RC Buildings, Japanese Index Method, Seismic Vulnerability

Abstract :

The principal observation of this study is emphasized on the structural seismic evaluation of low to medium-rise buildings and it is tried to establish the Japanese Index Method as a precise and user-friendly structural vulnerability assessment method for reinforced concrete (RC) buildings. In this study, a detailed survey has been carried out on 8 low to medium-rise RC residential buildings from Shahjalal Upashahar of Sylhet, Bangladesh to assess the earthquake vulnerability. The first level, out of the three levels of screening procedure of the Japanese Index Method has been used here to assess the vulnerability of the buildings. In level 1, if the Seismic Index ‘I S’ of a building is greater than the Seismic Demand Index ‘IS0’, a building can be termed as safe against earthquake. Considering the Zone Index and Ground Index of Sylhet, the ‘I S0’ value is achieved as 0.864. Among the 8 surveyed buildings, one building is found unsafe as the ground floor of this building achieves a lower value of ‘IS’ than the mentioned value. This has happened due to a smaller number of walls on the ground floor compared to other floors. From the study it is revealed that the 1st level of Japanese Index Method can be easily used for preliminary assessment of low to medium-rise RC buildings in Bangladesh.

Published on October 23rd, 2024 in Volume 4 Issue 2, Civil Engineering, Environment and Architecture