A comprehensive in situ and laboratory testing programme supporting seismic risk analysis of URM buildings subjected to induced earthquakes

Abstract

The reliability of a risk assessment procedure is strictly dependent on the adopted hazard, exposure, fragility and consequence models. This paper presents the methodology adopted to support the assessment of the seismic vulnerability of buildings in the Groningen province of the Netherlands by means of a comprehensive in situ and laboratory testing programme. The area, historically not prone to tectonic ground motions, experienced seismic events induced by gas extraction and subsequent reservoir depletion in the last decades. The peculiarity of the input ground motions, the distinctive features and a general lack of knowledge on the seismic response characteristics of the Dutch building stock, and the goal to also assess the collapse risk drove the design and execution of a comprehensive test campaign comprising in situ tests and full-scale shaking table tests of buildings. An overview of the whole campaign is presented, focusing on the merits and roles of the different experimental techniques. The main outcomes of the experimental tests are summarized and additional and wider research findings together with potential research avenues for future studies are also identified.