Abstract
The paper presents the authors’ observations on the performance of buildings during the 8th October 2005, Kashmir earthquake in parts of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and the North Western Frontier Province of Pakistan. A majority of the buildings in the earthquake region were non-engineered, owner-built, loadbearing masonry or reinforced concrete framed structures. Most of the masonry buildings were built with random or semi-dressed stone-walls without any reinforcement. The reinforced concrete frame buildings were deficient in strength, lacked ductile detailing and were poorly constructed. A large number of such buildings collapsed, leading to widespread destruction and loss of life. The building damage was the main cause behind the human and property loss. The collapse of floor and roof structures, the brittle behaviour of concrete buildings, a lack of integrity in masonry structures, and a lack of incorporation of seismically resistant features in building structures are found to be main reasons for the catastrophe.
Highlights
An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 on the Richter scale struck Pakistan-administered Kashmir (PAK) and the North Western Frontier Province (NWFP) of Pakistan (Figure 1) on 8 Oct 2005 in the morning
PEFORMANCE OF ELEVATED PART OF THE BUILDING STUCTURES. It is common practice in the earthquake affected areas to install heavy water tanks on the top of the roof to achieve a pressurised water supply. These water tanks could be elevated on reinforced concrete (RC) columns (Figure 36a), or brick/ block masonry columns or pedestal
The paper has discussed the observed behaviour of building structures during the 8th October 2005 Kashmir earthquake
Summary
The paper presents the authors’ observations on the performance of buildings during the 8th October 2005, Kashmir earthquake in parts of Pakistan-administered Kashmir, and the North Western Frontier Province of Pakistan. A majority of the buildings in the earthquake region were non-engineered, owner-built, loadbearing masonry or reinforced concrete framed structures. Most of the masonry buildings were built with random or semi-dressed stone-walls without any reinforcement. The reinforced concrete frame buildings were deficient in strength, lacked ductile detailing and were poorly constructed. A large number of such buildings collapsed, leading to widespread destruction and loss of life. The building damage was the main cause behind the human and property loss. The collapse of floor and roof structures, the brittle behaviour of concrete buildings, a lack of integrity in masonry structures, and a lack of incorporation of seismically resistant features in building structures are found to be main reasons for the catastrophe
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