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- Seismic Vulnerability Assessment of Existing Reinforced Concrete Buildings in Urban CentersPublication . Ferreira, Tiago Miguel; Rodrigues, Hugo; Vicente, RomeuDespite the recent advances in the analysis of the seismic performance of reinforced concrete structures, the assessment of large building inventories aimed at defining and prioritizing structural retrofitting strategies is still a technically challenging task. This paper aims to contribute to bridging this gap by presenting a simplified methodology for assessing the seismic vulnerability of reinforced concrete buildings, which is then applied to a group of 91 buildings affected by recent earthquakes with different macroseismic intensities. The presented methodology is based on the evaluation of eight parameters associated with different factors that affect the seismic response of the building, namely its structural features, foundation conditions, and position within the urban mesh. The formulation of each parameter and the relative weight attributed to each one of them were defined on the basis of post-earthquake damage observation and expert opinion. After defined, the proposed methodology is applied to Faro city center. Based on the results obtained, a cost benefit analysis is made considering a strengthening solution to the buildings with soft-story irregularity.
- Numerical simulation of beam-to-column connections in precast reinforced concrete buildings using fibre-based frame modelsPublication . Sousa, Romain; Batalha, Nádia; Rodrigues, HugoRecent earthquakes exposed the poor performance of precast RC structures, imposing damage on both structural and non-structural elements. The concentration of damage at the beam-to-column connections highlights the vulnerability of these systems and the need to understand and improve its seismic performance. The numerical simulation of connection systems in efficient software packages has been addressed in the past by several authors. However, these models fail in describing the different mechanisms independently and, therefore, are difficult to apply to generic connection solutions. Once identified the main lateral load resisting mechanisms involved, a new numerical model is proposed accounting for friction, dowel behaviour and the contribution of the neoprene components. The proposed model was validated against different experimental tests and a parametric study was performed to understand the contribution of the different components, especially in what concerns to the maximum horizontal strength and hysteretic energy dissipation.
- Response and rehabilitation of historic monuments after the gorkha earthquakePublication . Weise, Kai; Gautam, Dipendra; Rodrigues, HugoA 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Nepal on April 25, 2015, followed by numerous aftershocks, devastating hundreds of villages, residential buildings, and historical monuments. The destruction was extensive and the response in respect to cultural heritage needed to be coordinated. This chapter provides an overview of the response to the destruction to Nepal’s cultural heritage and the challenges of rehabilitation. During the past years, the Kathmandu Valley World Heritage Site has been preparing for the earthquake that was to strike Nepal. Clearly, one is never fully prepared. After the initial response phase and with the onslaught of the monsoon rains, rehabilitation planning began. Rehabilitation however cannot focus just on rebuilding the monuments. The tangible is an expression that has over the centuries always been damaged and rebuilt. Sustainability is achieved when the community ensures continuity and the concept of continuity of culture become the basis for reconstruction.
- Natural Hazards Challenges to Civil EngineeringPublication . Rodrigues, Hugo; Abrahamczyk, Lars; Barbosa, André R.; Shi, Haiyun; Ferreira, Tiago Miguel
- Pathology of Stone Masonry Buildings: A Case Study at the Batalha MonasteryPublication . Gaspar, Florindo; Rodrigues, Hugo; Zhgun, AnnaThe Batalha Monastery is not only historical, but also an architectural and construction masterpiece of Portugal and has been listed on the Unesco World Heritage list. The quality of a monument varies depending on the construction techniques, the architecture and the materials used, as well as the interventions and conservation actions taken over the years. All these factors are decisive for the durability and state ofconservation. A visual survey of the facade pathologies of the Chapel of the Monastery of Batalha was made. The main construction materials of the monastery have been subjected to significant changes over the years. Moreover, with the growing amount of pollution in the environment and the rate of deterioration is increasing significantly.
- Masonry Buildings: Research and PracticePublication . Rodrigues, Hugo; Šipoš, Tanja
- Stochastic Vulnerability Assessment of Masonry Structures: Concepts, Modeling and Restoration AspectsPublication . Asteris, Panagiotis G.; Moropoulou, Antonia; Skentou, Athanasia D.; Apostolopoulou, Maria; Mohebkhah, Amin; Cavaleri, Liborio; Rodrigues, Hugo; Varum, HumbertoA methodology aiming to predict the vulnerability of masonry structures under seismic action is presented herein. Masonry structures, among which many are cultural heritage assets, present high vulnerability under earthquake. Reliable simulations of their response to seismic stresses are exceedingly difficult because of the complexity of the structural system and the anisotropic and brittle behavior of the masonry materials. Furthermore, the majority of the parameters involved in the problem such as the masonry material mechanical characteristics and earthquake loading characteristics have a stochastic-probabilistic nature. Within this framework, a detailed analytical methodological approach for assessing the seismic vulnerability of masonry historical and monumental structures is presented, taking into account the probabilistic nature of the input parameters by means of analytically determining fragility curves. The emerged methodology is presented in detail through application on theoretical and built cultural heritage real masonry structures.
- Modelling structural performance and risk for enhanced building resilience and reliabilityPublication . Silva, Maria João Falcão; Almeida, Nuno Marques de; Salvado, Filipa; Rodrigues, HugoAmongst the numerous challenges faced by the Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Operation (AECO) sector, there is the need to fulfil the requirements from a wide range of increasingly demanding stakeholders, which are usually seeking for some sort of demonstration of the degree to which their needs are fulfilled (e.g. certification of building performance), together with an effective protection against the risk of nonconformities or defective buildings (e.g. financial warranties or insurance covering the risks of various kinds of building failures). Performance-based regulations and standards that are progressively being adopted by the AECO sector in general and the building subsector in particular are including the risk information, following what other sectors and industries have done since the 1970s. The needs and expectations of the AECO sector stakeholders are more sophisticated and include future-proofing methodologies and provisions that anticipate the future events, the changes, the needs or the uses to prepare adequately, minimizing impacts and capitalizing on opportunities leading to business continuity throughout the whole building projects life cycle. Within the realms of building design and construction quality control (e.g. the Consortium of European Building Control) and of building political–regulatory environments (e.g. the Inter-jurisdictional Regulatory Collaboration Committee), it has been argued that there is a need to balance the relative importance of different performance requirements and prioritize actions in face of limited resources for planning and controlling the building structures resilience and reliability. The present paper covers physical, political–regulatory and organizational aspects, seeking to contribute with a suggested correspondence and calibration of performance and risk metrics for building. Building structures are used as an empirical case study to show how technical performance and risk engineering can be programmed defensively towards higher resilience and reliability.
- Out-of-plane behavior of stone masonry walls: experimental and numerical analysisPublication . Maccarini, Helena; Vasconcelos, Graça; Rodrigues, Hugo; Ortega, Javier; Lourenço, Paulo B.Aiming at contributing to the better understanding of the out-of-plane behavior of unreinforced stone masonry structures, this paper presents the results of an experimental and numerical campaign performed on two U-shaped walls with different masonry bonds representative of Portuguese vernacular architecture. The experimental campaign included non-destructive tests for the material characterization and an out-of-plane cyclic loading test for the characterization of the out-of-plane response. A finite element numerical model was constructed, calibrated with the experimental results, which allowed performing a nonlinear parametric study to evaluate the most influential material and geometrical parameters in the out-of-plane behavior of stone masonry walls.
- A vulnerability index formulation for the seismic vulnerability assessment of vernacular architecturePublication . Ortega, Javier; Vasconcelos, Graça; Rodrigues, Hugo; Correia, MarianaThe valorization and preservation of vernacular architecture, as well as traditional construction techniques and materials, is a key-element for cultural identity. Conservation efforts are often mainly focused on historical constructions and monuments. Furthermore, more detailed and sophisticated seismic vulnerability assessment approaches typically used for monumental buildings require time, cost and resources that are not commonly assigned to the study of vernacular architecture. Earthquakes come unexpectedly, endangering in-use vernacular architecture and the population who inhabits it. That is why simplified methods for the seismic vulnerability assessment of vernacular architecture are of paramount importance. The present paper presents a new formulation for the vulnerability index method particularly adapted to the characteristics of vernacular architecture: Seismic Vulnerability Index for Vernacular Architecture (SVIVA). The vulnerability index method has been used extensively in the literature using different formulations that were always defined based on empirical knowledge acquired through post-earthquake damage observation and expert judgment. The SVIVA formulation is developed by means of an analytical process instead of the traditional empirical approach. The process included an extensive numerical modeling campaign that allows adapting the method to the characteristics of vernacular architecture by gaining a deeper quantitative knowledge on their seismic behavior.