Seismic Performance of Precast Industrial Facilities Following Major Earthquakes in the Italian Territory

Abstract

Recent major earthquakes in the Italian territory have reaffirmed the seismic vulnerability of precast industrial buildings typical of the past Italian building practice, highlighting structural deficiencies observed during previous events and mostly related to the transfer of the horizontal forces between structural and non-structural elements. Intrinsic lack of shear and ductility capacity has been observed in simply supported beam-to-joist and beam-to-column connections, mainly constituted by vertical steel dowels or solely relying on shear friction, with or without neoprene pads. These connections were designed neglecting seismic loads and their premature failure was observed during the recent seismic events causing the loss of support of beam elements, due to elements relative movements, and the collapse of part of the buildings, mainly the roof. The seismic displacement demand of the considered industrial buildings is larger compared to traditional reinforced concrete frame structures due to their higher flexibility, according both to higher inter-storey height and a cantilevered static scheme. Furthermore, this high flexibility could also result into displacement incompatibility between structural and non-structural elements, such as precast cladding panels, causing their connection failure. On the basis of detailed field observations on a relevant number of buildings, collected just after the earthquakes, seven representative industrial facilities are examined to outline the main vulnerabilities of one-storey precast concrete structures not designed and detailed for seismic loads.

Seismic design of precast concrete diaphragms. a guide for practicing engineers

“…The core, which was completed, had no damage but the outer areas which were not completed failed due to a lack of completed connections between the precast tees (Meneses 2010). Similar to the damage observed in Turkey, evaluation following the 2012 Emilia (Italy) seismic events indicated that the highly flexible roof systems used were unable to transfer and redistribute seismic forces and prevent excessive frame displacements leading to precast element drops (Belleri et al 2015).…”

Shake Table Test for the Collapse Investigation of a Typical Multi-Story Reinforced Concrete Frame Structure in the Meizoseismal Area

“…From past earthquakes it has been suggested that this structure type is relevant to a large proportion of seismic damage and collapse, e.g., the 1994 Ms 6.6 Northridge earthquake in the US [1], the 1995 Ms 7.3 Kobe earthquake in Japan [2],the 2008 Ms 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake, and the 2010 Ms 7.1 Yushu earthquake in China [3][4][5], as well as earthquakes in New Zealand (2010 Ms = 7.0 and 2011 Ms = 6.1) [6], and Italy (2012 Ms = 5.9) [7][8][9]. For multi-story buildings, reinforced concrete (RC) frames and masonry structures are the two main structural systems.…”

Performance Based Earthquake Assessment of an Industrial Gas Filter Structure

“…Recent earthquakes have pointed out the high vulnerability of industrial facilities [1] [2][3] [4][5] [6]. The risk associated to the failure of the plant, or a part of it, is very high since the consequences may be disastrous, in terms of human lives, environmental contamination and economic losses.…”