Post-Mortem Seismic Evaluation of an Office Building
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Published:2001
Robin Shepherd, Ph.D., D.Sc., F.I.C.E., F.ASCE., 2001. "Post-Mortem Seismic Evaluation of an Office Building", Forensic engineering: The investigation of failures: Proceedings of the second international conference on forensic engineering organized by the Institution of Civil Engineers and held in London, UK, on 12–13 November 2001, B. S. Neale
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This paper describes the comprehensive autopsy conducted on a two story office building that was severely damaged in the 1994 Northridge earthquake. The investigation was undertaken as part of an earthquake insurance claim and involved extensive destructive and nondestructive testing.
Estimates of the accelerations experienced by the subject building indicated that significant structural damage would be expected in this apparently code compliant structure. The detailed observations of the behavior were in accord with such expectations. The ability of the building to resist future earthquakes was substantially diminished by the damage suffered in the Northridge earthquake. The insurance claim, resolved by binding arbitration, resulted in $M 1.1 being awarded but the insurance company declared bankruptcy before payment was made.
THE EARTHQUAKE
THE BUILDING
EARTHQUAKE DAMAGE
CORRELATION OF DAMAGE WITH SEISMIC EXCITATION
CONCLUSIONS
INVESTIGATION OUTCOME
REFERENCES
