Damage detection in a precast structure subjected to an earthquake: A numerical approach (original) (raw)

Seismic risk mitigation is a relevant issue in European regions, such as Italy, characterized by the presence of a large stock of vulnerable existing industrial buildings. Through a case study, the article proposes an integrated novel approach for the diagnosis of structures after a seismic event. The suggested monitoring system is based on recording the accelerations of a real structure during an earthquake and on their introduction as input into a numerical model, suitably tuned, in order to outline a possible post-earthquake scenario. The leading idea of this approach is to provide an estimation of the health and residual life of monitored structures, and to detect and quantify the damage, some of the crucial issues of Structural Health Monitoring (SHM). The technique is applied to a real structure, an industrial building liable of some seismic vulnerabilities. It did not undergo an earthquake, so the real accelerations could not be recorded. For this reason, they are acquired from a second numerical model subjected to real and simulated earthquakes.