Virtual City-Based Seismic Assessment

Author: Prashidha Khatiwada
Date: 13/10/2024

The virtual city model provides a comprehensive framework for assessing the seismic vulnerability of reinforced concrete buildings in a city. The model incorporates five core routines that guide the entire assessment process. Routine 1 involves creating the virtual city model from a building exposure database using methods such as satellite imagery, floor plans, and drone-based scanning. Routine 2 focuses on generating earthquake excitations, including both scenario-based and event-based schemes, to predict building responses to future or recent seismic events. Routine 3 performs a rapid nonlinear time history analysis (RNLTHA) to estimate building responses such as drift and material strain. The analysis uses macroscopic modeling combined with a simplified 2D to 3D conversion for accurate seismic predictions. Routine 4 interprets these results by correlating engineering demand parameters to specific damage states, from slight damage to complete collapse. Finally, Routine 5 visualizes the damage in a 3D environment, with color-coded buildings representing various damage levels. This integrated approach allows for efficient seismic assessments and provides valuable insights for recovery, retrofitting, and urban planning.

The online program for the full virtual city model-based seismic assessment of the CLUE area in Melbourne is currently under progress and will be available here soon. This program will offer comprehensive insights into assessing the seismic vulnerability of buildings within the CLUE area.

In the meantime, please watch the video below, which explains the conceptual background of the virtual city-based seismic assessment, covering key methodologies and processes used to evaluate seismic risks and damages.