Capacity curves obtained from nonlinear static analyses are widely used to perform seismic assessments of structures as an alternative to dynamic analysis. This paper presents a novel ‘en masse’ method to assess the seismic vulnerability of urban areas swiftly and with the accuracy of mechanical methods. At the core of this methodology is the calculation of the capacity curves of low-rise reinforced concrete buildings using neural networks, where no modeling of the building is required. The curves are predicted with minimal error, needing only basic geometric and material parameters of the structures to be specified. As a first implementation, a typology of prismatic buildings is defined and a training set of more than 7000 structures generated. The capacity curves are calculated through push-over analysis using SAP2000. The results feature the prediction of 100-point curves in a single run of the network while maintaining a very low mean absolute error. This paper proposes a method that improves current seismic assessment tools by providing a fast and accurate calculation of the vulnerability of large sets of buildings in urban environments.

This work summarises the strategy adopted in the European research project PERSISTAH. It aims to increase the resilience of the population, focusing on the existing primary schools in the Algarve (Portugal) and Huelva (Spain) regions. Software was developed to assess the seismic safety of these schools, considering different earthquake scenarios. Seismic retrofitting measures were studied and numerically tested. Some of them were also implemented in the retrofitting activities of two case study schools (one in each country). It was found that the adopted ground motion prediction equations (GMPEs) considerably affect the results obtained with the software, especially for offshore earthquake scenarios. Furthermore, the results show that the masonry buildings would be the most damaged school typologies for all the scenarios considered. Additionally, a set of guidelines was created to support the school community and the technicians related to the construction industry. The goal of these documents is to increase the seismic resilience of the population. Different activities were carried out to train schoolteachers in seismic safety based on the guidelines produced, obtaining positive feedback from them.

Influence of the constructive features of RC existing buildings in their ductility and seismic performance (

Previous research has indicated that many European buildings are vulnerable to moderatemagnitude earthquakes. For example, during the L´Aquila (Italia, M w 6.3, 2009) and Lorca (Spain, M w 5.9, 2011) earthquakes, many old buildings were severely damaged and some of them collapsed. In specific, significant damage has been found in several school buildings a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111 a1111111111

This manual is designed to sup-port the training of primary school teachers, instructors and technicians, who want to improve their knowledge and develop activities about seismic and tsunami risk. The contents and information of this document come from researches carried out at present, and also as the continuation of other projects in which the author has participated, such as the game "Treme-Treme".