Comparative Study of the Behavior of Metallic and Reinforced Concrete Structures Under the Effect of Tsunami Waves

Abstract

The serious consequences of the last tsunamis that occurred in India in 2004 and in Japan in 2011 have attracted the attention of engineers and specialists in order to develop tools to calculate, to verify and to assess the vulnerability of buildings against this devastating disaster. The objective of the present work is to establish a comparative study of the behavior of metallic structures and the ones of reinforced concrete under the effect of the forces generated by the tsunami waves. For this purpose, a simplified modeling of tsunamic forces has been established on the basis of experimental models expressing the intensity of these forces as a function of time. Then, the time history methods and the Pushover analysis have been combined in order to establish the capacity curves. Then, the vulnerability criteria of each one of the studied structures have been determined under the effect of the tsunamic solicitations. This will evaluate the performance of both materials based on the different degrees of damage recorded. Thanks to the simplified modeling of the tsunami forces proposed in this comparative study, it has been possible to perform the time history analysis of the two types of structures. The result obtained can be used for the benefit of the concerned officials in the design and programming of the development plans of the highly exposed coastal cities and to establish a judicious choice of the types of materials adapted to this kind of disaster.