Spectrum-consistent [formula omitted]-based fragility curves

Abstract

In the field of earthquake engineering, Fragility Curves (FCs) have become indispensable for regional risk assessments due to their efficacy in estimating the failure probabilities of diverse structures, including buildings and bridges, based on certain intensity measures. FCs are typically derived from either mechanical simulations or on-site observations, encapsulating crucial information about local stratigraphy and topography. The dependency of FCs on these local parameters, such as soil and topographic conditions, may vary depending on the selected intensity measure. When a spectral ordinate at a specific period is used as an intensity measure, FCs tend to be largely site-independent. On the other hand, if the intensity measure is chosen to be the acceleration ag at the bedrock substrate, as often occurs, then the FC is site-dependent. This distinction implies that identical structures at different locations, or even the same location with different soil and topographic conditions, have different FCs. This can significantly influence the results of regional risk studies, as using FCs for a specific building type at diverse locations with different hazards, stratigraphy, and topography can result in significantly different failure probabilities. The goal of this study is to develop a method so that ag-based FCs, developed at a certain location, can be used at any other location and on any other soil, preserving consistency in terms of spectral ordinate. This is done by a fully analytical approach, using a spectrum-consistent transformation. As an application, risk maps for Italy are generated and compared with an alternative method based on shifting the hazard curve.