No abstract

The OSS (acronym of the Italian name “Osservatorio Sismico delle Strutture”) is a network of permanent seismic monitoring systems installed in public buildings, and also in some bridges and a dam. Each system consists of a number of sensors sufficient to completely describe the dynamic behaviour of the structure. Structural typologies have been selected according to their representativeness of the public building stock and to their importance for the emergency management. Some relevant aspects are addressed, including: (i) a brief description of the network, (ii) a résumé of data usually collected and organized for each structure (structural survey and in situ tests on materials, experimental modal analysis, FEM models and structural identification) and (iii) a description of data management tools and procedures (network operation performance, post-earthquake automatic analysis, public access to data). At the end, on-going and future use of OSS data is briefly discussed, with reference to statistical analysis of relevant parameters of the available records, real-time post-earthquake damage assessment and an in-field reconnaissance visit after a recent earthquake. © 2015, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

No abstract

The 2002 Molise, Italy, earthquake struck a relatively limited geographical area where the communities are mainly agrarian. While most buildings in the region are masonry, there are significant differences in the type of masonry construction, as material characteristics and construction practices had changed over the centuries. This paper focuses on the masonry buildings that predominate in domestic construction. The most significant features that contributed to the damage pattern appear to be (1) construction criteria, techniques, and details that were inadequate for seismically active areas, particularly in buildings constructed or substantially modified over the past 100 years, and (2) site effects resulting from differences in amplification and frequency of the vibrations that locally increased the destructiveness of the earthquake. The observed damage did not correlate to the vulnerability that would be assigned to the structures under the European Macroseismic Scale. [DOI: 10.1193/1.1765106

The normal-faulting earthquake of 6 April 2009 in the Abruzzo Region of central Italy caused heavy losses of life and substantial damage to centuries-old buildings of significant cultural importance and to modern reinforced-concrete-framed buildings with hollow masonry infill walls. Although structural deficiencies were significant and widespread, the study of the characteristics of strong motion data from the heavily affected area indicated that the short duration of strong shaking may have spared many more damaged buildings from collapsing. It is recognized that, with this caveat of short-duration shaking, the infill walls may have played a very important role in preventing further deterioration or collapse of many buildings. It is concluded that better new or retrofit construction practices that include reinforced-concrete shear walls may prove helpful in reducing risks in such seismic areas of Italy, other Mediterranean countries, and even in United States, where there are large inventories of deficient structures.