Seismic Risk Analysis

Course contents (60 credit hours)

Unit 1 Introduction [5 hrs]
Brief history of Nepalese and global significant earthquakes, their damages, death and
loss.
Unit 2 Deterministic and probabilistic analysis [10 hrs]
Concept of deterministic and probabilistic hazard analysis (PSHA), suitability of various
attenuation laws, details of PSHA approach, probabilistic spectra, de-aggregation,
simulation of strong ground motions.
Unit 3 Vulnerability Fragility assessment [10 hrs]
Introduction to physical vulnerability, Social, cultural and economic dimension of
vulnerability, Quantification of vulnerability, Methods for finding failure probabilities,
Tools for vulnerability assessment. Nonlinear static and dynamic methods.
Unit 4 Loss Estimation [5 hrs]
Review of earthquake damages, Damage and loss estimation, Fragility curves, Empirical
and analytical damage estimation. Definition of risk, Integrating seismic hazard to
seismic risk, Tools for Risk Estimation. Consequence analysis, Seismic risk indexes,
Process related risk indexes
Unit 5 Seismic risk estimation of lifelines and infrastructures [10 hrs]
Damage and loss estimation of water supply system, communication systems, electricity
networks and critical facilities.
Unit 6 Introduction to Retrofitting Techniques [10 hrs]
Various techniques for RCC and masonry structures, Code, rules, regulations and
guidelines
Assignments and Presentations [10 hrs]

References:
1. Mcguire, R. K., Seismic hazard and risk analysis. EERI, MNO-10, 2004.
2. David Dowrik, Earthquake Resistant Design and Reduction, 2009.
3. W. F. Chen and C. Scawthorn, Earthquake Engineering Handbook, CRC press LLC, 2003
4. Kramer, S., Geotechnical earthquake engineering. Prentice-Hall International series in Civil
Engineering and Engineering Mechanics, 1996.
5. Seismic Evaluation and Retrofit of Concrete Buildings, ATC 40
6. NEHRP (1997) Guidelines for the seismic rehabilitation of buildings, Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) 273
7. NEHRP (2000) Guidelines for the seismic rehabilitation of buildings, Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) 356.