Experts from the Universities of Sevilla and Algarve (Portugal) have created a system to evaluate and reinforce schools against earthquakes. Through a set of indicators, the method offers the best solution to make these buildings more resistant according to the principles of efficiency, cost, and architectural impact. The formula is applicable to other types of buildings, such as houses, high schools, or hospitals.
With a set of indicators, the method offers the best solution to strengthen schools based on the principles of efficiency, cost, and architectural impact
Through a computer application, these experts analyze the behavior of buildings according to seismic regulations. This provides data to understand the structural response and the level of damage a building would suffer during an earthquake. From there, the method evaluates how the school’s behavior could be improved according to different structural reinforcement systems. This information is then assessed alongside cost and architectural impact indicators to find the best alternative.
“Many centers could benefit from structural reinforcement, so part of the work has been to screen which construction solutions best adapt to our technology, are more economical, and respect the building’s design to keep it functional,” says co-author Antonio Morales, project leader at the University of Sevilla for the PERSISTAH project, funded by the INTERREG-POCTEP program, under which this research falls.
The study takes as a reference the schools built in Huelva and the Algarve. “Most of these schools were constructed during the 1970s. Therefore, seismic requirements were not restrictive, and in most cases, they were only designed considering gravitational loads,” explains the lead author María Victoria Requena García de la Cruz, researcher at the University of Sevilla.
The method has been successfully applied to a school in Huelva, with the results and the different stages of the system developed by this team of experts published in the journal PLOS ONE.
Seismic Activity Zone
The regions of Huelva and the Algarve are characterized by considerable earthquake activity, as is the case with other parts of Andalusia identified in Spain’s seismic hazard map. This is due to their proximity to the Gibraltar-Azores fault, where the Eurasian and African tectonic plates meet.
Exposure to earthquakes can be worsened depending on the soil type where the building is located. “In Huelva, being near the coast and marshlands, the presence of soft soils acts as a multiplier of seismic effects,” notes Requena.
Additionally, primary schools in both regions share common seismic vulnerabilities. The oldest ones (from the 1960s) use a load-bearing wall system, with a high percentage of openings in the walls and low-quality materials. The others are based on shorter-than-usual pillars and reinforced concrete beams; the ground floors are weaker because they lack enclosure and do not rest directly on the ground but on an insulating layer (known as a sanitary slab).
Bibliographic Reference:
Requena-García-Cruz MV, Morales-Esteban A, Durand-Neyra P, Estêväo J. ‘An index-based method for evaluating seismic retrofitting techniques. Application to a reinforced concrete primary school in Huelva.’ PLOS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0215120.
Access to the comple article here.