Innovative Steel Structures for Post-Earthquake functional Recovery, Resilience and Reversibility
Project ID: 2228cd1269 (You will need this ID for your application)
Research Theme: Engineering
UCL Lead department: Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (CEGE)
Lead Supervisor: Fabio Freddi
Project Summary:
Earthquakes are among the deadliest/costliest catastrophic events worldwide as highlighted by recent events in Turkey-Syria (59259 casualties, $91 billion loss and up to 210 million tons of debris) and Morocco (currently 2800 killed and >300,000 people affected). Conventional seismic design methods, suggested by current codes worldwide, rely on construction damage to dissipate the seismic energy to meet the life-safety requirements. This results in post-earthquake scenarios where structures are severely damaged with large direct (e.g., casualties, repair cost) and indirect (e.g., downtime, environmental impact) losses after high-intensity seismic events.
Policymakers and stakeholders have begun calling for ‘better-than-code’ seismic design, highlighting the following needs: 1) ensuring quick/easy post-earthquake re-occupancy and functional recovery; 2) shifting from life-safety-centred to resilience-oriented design strategies; 3) prioritising sustainable adaptation and re-use of structures and/or structural components.
The present project aims to address these needs by investigating the use of innovative technologies for post-earthquake functional Recovery, Resilience, and Reversibility of steel structures. The proposed framework aligns with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 in ‘Enhancing disaster preparedness for ‘Build Back Better’ in recovery, rehabilitation, and reconstruction’ and with the European Green Deal in promoting sustainable measures for building practices with sustainability awareness and reduced environmental impact.
The project integrates analytical, probabilistic, numerical and large-scale experimental work. Large-scale shaking table tests for one innovative structural configuration are currently being planned and will be performed starting in Jan 2025. Numerical simulations and probabilistic studies will be performed to evaluate Effectiveness, Reliability and Robustness of the proposed solutions and provide design recommendations. The student will gain extensive expertise in experimental testing, numerical modelling and risk assessment including uncertainty quantification.
The ideal candidate for this project has a master’s degree in structural and/or earthquake engineering and a reasonable coding level. Proficiency in probabilistic risk analysis is desirable but not essential.