Assessment of the seismic risk and vulnerability of low-rise masonry structures considering a simplified regression model

Abstract

Seismic vulnerability is a core element of earthquake risk and the development of large-scale regional seismic resilience models. Low-rise masonry structures have a long history and wide application in different regions worldwide. However, relatively few studies have investigated the seismic vulnerability and risk assessment of low-rise masonry structures while considering the influence of temperature. This paper proposes a simplified evaluation function for evaluating the seismic vulnerability of low-rise masonry structures. A seismic risk method considering improved vulnerability levels and temperature field effects is innovatively proposed, and an optimized vulnerability probability matrix based on two typical earthquake damage datasets from China (the Wenchuan (WC) earthquake in Sichuan (1228 buildings) and the Zhaosu (ZS) earthquake in Xinjiang (1640 buildings)) is established. Additionally, 2108,103 acceleration records of the WC earthquake were selected from 12 real seismic stations, and dynamic time history and spectral analyses were conducted. To explore the impact of different temperature fields on the vulnerability of low-rise masonry structures, the structural damage data of two typical earthquakes (WC and ZS) with temperature effects were classified and statistically analysed. A comparison curve of the seismic vulnerability in different intensity zones considering the influence of temperature was innovatively established using a nonlinear regression algorithm. An updated seismic vulnerability and risk index function was developed to evaluate the damage modes of low-rise masonry structures. Typical structural failure fields based on field observations of the WC earthquake have been reported. The results indicate that the developed simplified vulnerability regression model can effectively evaluate the seismic risk and vulnerability of low-rise structures, contributing positively to the establishment of large-scale regional structural seismic risk and resilience distributions.