Predictions of Damage to Timber-Framed Houses. I: Seismic Performance of Wood-Framed Houses Located on Slopes

• Published in: Natural hazards review Vol. 24; no. 4
• Main Authors: Miranda, Catalina, Toma, Charlotte, Stephens, Max T.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York American Society of Civil Engineers 01-11-2023
• Subjects: Correlation; Distribution; Earthquake damage; Earthquakes; Engineering; Forestry; Geological hazards; Ground motion; Mathematical models; Nonlinear analysis; Parameters; Residential areas; Seismic activity; Seismic hazard; Seismic response; Seismic surveys; Shape; Slope; Slopes; Strengthening; Structural damage; Structural surveys; Superstructures; Surveys; Technical Papers; Timber framed; Vulnerability; Wood; Wood framed
• ISSN: 1527-6988; 1527-6996
• DOI: 10.1061/NHREFO.NHENG-1811

AbstractThis is the first in a set of companion papers that seek to compare homeowners’ expectations and engineering predictions of damage to timber-framed houses before and after undertaking seismic structural strengthening. By combining social and engineering sciences, this multidisciplinary and innovative research contributes to ongoing work on building resilient communities. Part I analyzes the seismic vulnerability of wooden-framed houses located on slopes in the Wellington Region, New Zealand. Data collected using a structural survey in Wellington was used to define common structural parameters in wood-framed houses—slope, plan shape orientation relative to the slope, and wall distribution—and evaluate the influence these parameters have on the levels of earthquake damage. Data from the survey was used to develop a set of representative case-study houses which were modeled using validated nonlinear analysis techniques. The models were subjected to a suite of site-specific ground motions at a range of expected seismic hazards in Wellington, and damage was estimated using based on the maximum drifts recorded at the floor and roof level, and torsion ratio between up and downslope displacement. The results of this paper, Part I, demonstrated a high correlation between damage—measured as torsion and large interstory drifts—and the plan-shape orientation of the houses relative to the slope, while the correlation between damage and both slope and superstructure wall distribution was moderate to low. The structural strengthening of houses and the homeowners’ expectations of structural damage are addressed in Part II, the companion paper.