Earthquake Vulnerability and the State-of-the-Art of Hybrid Structural Reinforcement and Soil Improvement Methods for NonEngineered Structures

Abstract

In the course of the last decades many efforts have been focused on the design of effective countermeasures to retrofit pre-existing engineered structures -including both buildings and civil constructions- to properly resist the effects of primary and secondary seismic failure induced mechanisms. On the other hand, due to several reasons which will be here summarized, non-engineered buildings (e.g.: unreinforced masonry structures, shack housing in developing countries, adobe dwellings, etc.) have not been so widely studied. As these structures are far from simple, they pose many interesting issues regarding earthquake vulnerability and the challenging tasks of either retrofitting their design or performing soil and foundation improvements in frequently difficult psycho-environmental settings. In this presentation, some of the most outstanding features of non-engineered buildings will be detailed. Also, a summary of some of the most effective approaches of hybrid structural and soil improvements will be discussed with some guidelines for future studies.