RAPID: Urgent Collection of Perishable Condition Data from Structures Affected by the Haiti Earthquake

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The objective of this Rapid Response Research (RAPID) grant is to develop a rapid, image-based, semi-automated method for assessing damage and collapse risk for reinforced concrete structures to both reduce the time needed for, and to improve the reliability of, post-event inspection. The aftermath of recent earthquakes in the United States suggests that for even a moderate intensity earthquake affecting a metropolitan area, it could take weeks or months to inspect, and thereby grant access to, damaged buildings. During this time, families are without homes, businesses are without facilities, and recovery is delayed. The research team seeks to both reduce the time needed for and improve the reliability of post-event inspection by developing a rapid, image-based, semi-automated method for assessing damage and collapse risk for reinforced concrete structures. Using this method, video of damaged structures is processed to identify and characterize damage and these damage data are used to estimate the performance state of structural components and, ultimately, the collapse vulnerability of the structure.The research team will travel to Haiti and collect damage data and design information for concrete buildings damaged during the recent earthquake. These data will be used to validate image processing algorithms and damage assessment techniques and, thereby, to advance the envisioned rapid inspection method. The data collection activities represent a significant educational experience for the graduate student members of the research team. The comprehensive, image-based data sets collected by the research team will be made available for use by earthquake engineering educators and researchers around the world.