Seismic Safety and Resilience of Schools in Nepal

该项目旨在制定一项综合方案，以提高尼泊尔学校建筑的抗震安全性和抗灾能力。恢复周期从综合考虑精细地质测绘、三维场地和地形效应以及使用统计聚类模型的地震活动序列的整体地震危险性评估开始。随后将开发智能诊断专家系统应用程序，用于可靠的地震前和地震后结构检查。其核心逻辑将基于美国联邦应急管理局和ATC-20i标准，扩展到解决功能风险，根据希腊和土耳其现有学校建筑数据库中确定的检查错误模式减少检查偏差。上述最先进的危害和脆弱性评估将导致根据风险对需要加强的学校进行优先排序。诊断算法将特别强调识别轻度至中度损坏的建筑物，这些建筑物的安全性可以通过创新而简单的措施大大提高。沿着这些方向，修复和改造的方法将通过大型和/或全尺寸、一层一教室、3D砌体和/或土坯房/夯土简单建筑以及一个湾R/C填充框架的实验测试来确定，这些测试将在布里斯托尔大学和南安普顿大学与纽约州立大学的Bullafo大学合作的振动台进行。实验将与项目在尼泊尔的当地合作伙伴共同设计，在那里将进行初步材料测试。目的是设计一个切合实际的测试活动，以适应尼泊尔学校建筑的建筑特点。通过对真实主震和余震序列下的累积损伤进行实验研究和数值验证，将在实验室对结构损伤模式有更深入的了解，这是一个从未在这种程度上研究过的问题。将测试创新的维修和改造技术，以便通过额外的实验集评估和优化其效率。将与当地合作伙伴一起测试、共同制作和以指导方针的形式记录完善和简单的解决方案。使用天然材料的隔震创新概念将成为学校建筑和避难所更安全的“滑动”结构的第二个主要实验研究方向。这为低成本、高安全的重建提供了一种新的选择。然后将制定综合的震后脆弱性评估，考虑区域材料，并采用微观和中等脆弱性模型，以便在震后反应、恢复和减灾阶段作出知情决策。这将以尼泊尔现有应急计划为基础，其具体目标是通过几乎实时地整合震后地震地图，丰富决策过程。还将开发一款平板电脑应用程序，基于基于频谱的FAST算法对震后结构健康进行可靠诊断。FAST算法在地震活跃的地中海国家得到了验证。专家系统将进一步把已查明的损坏情况与最适当的修理/改造/复原技术联系起来，因为后者以前已在实验室查明、测试和核证。在整个项目期间，将在尼泊尔组织一系列讲习班和培训会议，以便与当地行政部门以及工程和教育界进行互动。这种相互作用被认为对尼泊尔农村和城市地区共同发展新概念、技术转让和可持续建设学校至关重要。

This project aims at developing a comprehensive scheme for enhancing the seismic safety and resilience of school buildings in Nepal. The circle of resilience initiates from a holistic seismic hazard assessment considering refined geological mapping, 3D site and topographic effects as well as seismicity sequence using statistical clustering models. This will be followed by the development of a smart diagnostics expert system app for reliable pre- and post-earthquake structural inspection. Its core logic will be based on US FEMA and ATC-20i standards extended to address functionality risks, inspection bias reduction based on inspection error patterns identified in the existing school buildings databases in Greece and Turkey. The above state-of-the-art hazard and vulnerability assessments will lead to the risk-based prioritization of schools that need strengthening. Particular emphasis in the diagnostics algorithm will be placed in identifying buildings with minor-to moderate damage, whose safety could be substantially improved with innovative yet simple measures. Along these lines, means of repair and retrofit will be identified by experimental testing of large and/or full scale, one storey-one classroom, 3D masonry and/or adobe/rammed earth simple buildings, as well as of one bay R/C infill frame, to be conducted at the shaking table of the University of Bristol and the University of Southampton in collaboration with the University of Bullafo, SUNY. Experiments will be co-designed with the project local partners in Nepal, where preliminary material testing will take place. The aim is to design a realistic testing campaign tailored to the construction characteristics of school buildings in Nepal. A deep understanding of the structural damage patterns will be obtained in the Laboratory by studying experimentally and verifying numerically, the cumulative damage under realistic mainshock and aftershock sequences, an issue that has never been studied at this extent. Innovative repair and retrofit techniques will be tested in order to assess and optimize their efficiency through an additional experimental set. Refined and simple solutions will be tested, co-produced and documented in the form of guidelines along with the local partners. An innovative concept of seismic isolation using natural materials will be the second major strand of experimental research for safer "sliding" construction of school buildings and shelters. This is aimed to provide a new alternative for low cost - high safety reconstruction.A comprehensive post-quake vulnerability assessment will then be developed accounting for regional materials and employing micro- and meso-fragility modelling for informed decision-making during the post-earthquake response, recovery and mitigation phases. This will build upon the existing emergency plans in Nepal with the specific aim to enrich the decision-making process by integrating post-quake shake maps in nearly real time. A tablet app will also be developed for reliable diagnostics of post-quake structural health based on the spectral-based FAST algorithm, a tested method in seismically active Mediterranean countries. An expert system will further link the identified damage states with the most appropriate repair/retrofit/rehabilitation techniques, as the latter have been identified, tested and certified previously in the Lab. During the entire duration of the project a series of workshops and training sessions will be organised in Nepal in order to interact with the local administration as well as the engineering and educational community. This interaction is deemed vital for the co-development of new concepts, the transfer of know-how and the sustainable construction of schools in both rural and urban areas of Nepal.