Observations from the EERI Team
It was the last day we will be doing assessments which has been rewarding work. There is still plenty to do but the reconnaissance mission needs to be accomplished as well. The NZ engineers are a wonderful group of people doing a great job of getting the city back on its feet while maintaining the […]
Observations on Retrofitted URM Buildings from the EERI Team
Today our team of engineers reviewed several unreinforced masonry structures that were previously seismically retrofitted. The performance of the retrofitted structures varied greatly. The team observed multiple failures in retrofitted connections, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, that had been installed to tie unreinforced masonry walls to floor or roof diaphragms. Figure 1. […]
Observations from the EERI Team
Most of the EERI team members volunteered to work for the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) on Day 3. I was assigned to Rapid Response, which has variety of responsibilities. The team I was assigned to include a New Zealand registered structural engineer, a city worker, and two USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) members. On the […]
Observations on Industrial Non-Structural Damage from the EERI Team
Several of the industrial businesses were located in pre-cast concrete tilt-up buildings which were observed to have damage to their panel connection at both the roof and at adjacent panels. The industrial steel structures that were visited typically appeared to perform adequately with the exception of selected tension only bracing, which was observed to have […]
Observations on Concrete Buildings from the EERI Team
Failures of concrete structures by far the biggest threat to life-safety Even though there was a far greater number of unreinforced masonry building failures as compared to concrete structures, the collapse of midrise concrete structures led to a disproportionate loss of life. Non-ductile concrete structural damage was generally as expected, but many of these structures […]
Observations on Industrial Buildings from the EERI Team
Today I spent the day entirely outside the Christchurch Business District (CBD). Nathan and I were following up on a contact given us by one of the volunteer engineers doing building assessments. The purpose of today was to look at damage to industrial facilities and how they fared during the recent event. We spent most […]
Photos and statistics of building damage in Sendai
Out of 175 buildings: No damage: 95 buildings Some damage, but could be operational in short time: 66 buildings Severe damage, need some time before use: 14 buildings Collapse or tilting: 0 buildings A church in Mito City, Ibaragi Prefecture, suffered severe damage in the tower. A automobile ramp to the roof parking area collapse […]
Damage in Sendai Areas (English Summary)
Read the Report: Damage in Sendai Areas (1.2 MB PDF)
Structural Damage of “A” High School Buildings
Read the Report: Structural Damage of “A” High School Buildings (0.93 MB PDF)
Damage of Nakasone No. 1 Viaduct and Discussion on Damage Mechanism
Read the Report: Damage of Nakasone No. 1 Viaduct and Discussion on Damage Mechanism (0.75 MB PDF)